An Unexpected Suitor
by Glowing Blue
Summary: Love really does come from the most unexpected places. AU.
1. Glimpses of a Human

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

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He watches her everyday, from the security of his underwater world.

She comes to his lake everyday, unaware of his presence, or his gaze.

He finds her enchanting; he has never seen such glowing flesh and bright eyes up close.

She finds his waters majestic; she comes every afternoon, sometimes with a canvas and art supplies in hand in order to attempt to capture the beauty of the clear water, and its surroundings, with her mixtures of colors.

He remembers their first meeting; or rather, his first glimpse of her after she stumbled into the clearing, at the age of eleven and in search for the soccer ball she had kicked too hard.

He remembers the awed look on her face as she glimpsed the beautiful view before her for the first time, remembers the satisfaction in her eyes as she realized she had found a place of solitude from her village on the opposite side of the forest, remembers the glee that lit up her face when she found her ball nestled between some bushes.

She returns the next day, and he watches as she practices with her ball. She dribbles it between her feet and bounces it with her knee and head, into the air. There are no sounds except for the rustling of the leaves from a cool breeze, the rippling of his waters' surface, and her harsh breathing from hours of dedicated practice. She is determined to prove to the boys in her village that she is just as good at sporting as them.

Months pass, and she begins to mature. She may still act like a man, but her body is changing. At one time, her shirt slips slightly because she bends down to grab her ball, and he notices she has begun to wear bindings for her growing chest. She also discontinues her wearing of shorts, because he is not the only one to notice these changes in her; the men in her village are crass and eye her. Although she can take care of herself, she feels more comfortable having their gazes off of her figure.

Years pass, and her father forces her to begin their village's equivalent of a cotillion class because she is not feminine enough. Or so he infers from the grumbling and muttering that passes her lips one day.

He feels upset because she is obviously unhappy, but cannot help but lose his breath when she arrives at the lake still wearing the dress she was forced into to learn ballroom dancing. He has never taken much interest in humans and their cultures before, so he does not know what they consider attractive, but he is sure she is what they call _beautiful._

More time passes, and she decides to take a swim one day, because the sun's heat is bearing down on her. He looks away when she strips to nothing but her undergarments, but cannot help but enjoy the feel of her figure entering the waves of his lake. He can sense the heat coming off of her flesh and can taste her skin as its aroma mixes with the water. He decides the sensation is intoxicating.

He has "tasted" other humans before; children who have fallen in or travelers who decide to soak their tired feet. He has always found humans' taste to be disgusting, but cannot help but be delighted by hers.

After years of observing her, he feels as if he knows her, inside and out; how ironic, because she does not even realize his existence.

But he knows this is to be expected. He has never shown himself to her, and for good reason. After all, no human would think themselves sane after encountering the dragon spirit of the lake they hold so dear.

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**The idea for this story just came to me randomly, so I decided to post it to see how well it is recieved.**

**If you want to know what Toushiro looks like, just imagine Kohaku from _Spirited Away, _because that's how I pictured him in my mind when I wrote this. And you _must _know what Kohaku looks like, because _Spirited Away _is the cutest movie in the world, so I'm sure everyone has seen it! If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest you do; I'm sure you'll love it.**


	2. Jealous for the First Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

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Even when she reaches sixteen years of age, she still visits his lake everyday.

Her habits do not change. She still practices harshly with her soccer ball, never giving herself a deserved break. She still attends her classes, despite her disgust, because her father desires to mould her into her domestic sister. Both of her family members, along with her elder brother and mother, he has only glimpsed through a photograph she brings with her from time to time; he finds this endearing.

He himself keeps a magically waterproofed picture of his dear grandmother and sister with him.

He continues to hide his presence from her at all times. Perhaps it is foolish of him to be so infatuated with a human, but he feels she is different. And so far, he is content with only watching her from afar.

This changes when, one day, she brings a man. Grimm. Or so she calls him. Her companion's blue hair and blue eyes are the same color as his waters, and he finds himself fearing that perhaps that is the reason why she has loved his lake so dearly all these years.

Because anyone can see that she desires this man. She is too tough to admit her desires outright, but when her companion looks away, her eyes display tenderness and longing.

She begins bringing him everyday. The two sit by the river's edge and joke with one another, or he practices her soccer with her. The two seem close.

He is surprised by the hostility he suddenly feels towards this man. Certainly he is a brash human, with the tendency to pretend he is tough, but he has never done anything to offend the spirit, nor has he ever shown any bad intentions towards the raven haired female seated beside him. Yet the dragon feels an ache when he witnesses them laughing together, or resting in each other's arm as they enjoy the cool breezes.

The true heart break comes many months later. He knows something is different when she arrives positively _glowing._ The man beside her seems rather pleased with himself also. His curiosity is piqued, and his spirit is crushed when he overhears the conversation.

She excitedly chatters about their new engagement. Apparently, both their fathers, having been very close for many years, decided to one day wed their children. The blue haired punk is much older, but both parties are willing, and so the agreement is set.

They are to be married in fall. She jokes that her father has finally done something right in his life, and he grins.

The water spirit urges himself to retreat farther into his lake – anything to end having to listen to the torturous conversation – but finds himself unable to turn away. He hardly gets to see her besides the small amount of time she spends in his clearing, and he will take this opportunity to get his fill of her today, despite the eyesore seated beside her.

However, moments later, he finds himself wishing he had listened.

Her fiancé suddenly grabs her head and crushes her lips to his own. She jumps from the surprise, but soon gives into the temptation she has been holding in since the beginning of her crush.

This is his first time experiencing this inner turmoil. He forces himself to look away, but he is too late.

The couple both scramble away from the lake's edge as the water begins to splash violently in their direction; his unconstrained emotions cause his environment to react furiously.

She does not return the next day. He blames himself.

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**Don't hate me for making this chapter so short! I needed this chapter to help me transition to the next chapter, which I promise will be longer.**

**Not to mention, the next chapter will be called _Meeting. _I'm sure we all know what that means!**

**I know this chapter was not very HitsuKarin-ish, but her relationship with Grimmjow is crucial to Karin meeting Toushiro.**

**Besides, ****I've always been very interested in a Grimmjow x Karin relationship; the idea of the two of them as a couple seems very unique...and I have a love for crack pairings. I think there are only two GrimmKarin fanfics on Fanfiction (there used to be more, but they got deleted). If any of you are interested in the pairing, I suggest _The Courtship of Kurosaki Karin, Espada Style _by _Bjorn_; its the story that got me interested in this pairing in the first place, and its very cute.**


	3. Meeting Her

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

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He is distraught when she chooses to keep her distance from his lake; who is there to blame but himself, who foolishly let emotions take control?

But he is quick to learn that it is not his reaction that kept her away, but the anniversary of her mother's death.

She returns the next day, the same as always, albeit a bit more somber considering the past day's events. Her husband-to-be is not with her. This is something he appreciates.

He learns to forgive himself as he begins to, once again, get his daily dose of her.

But as the days pass, her visits become shorter and fewer; she has wedding plans to see through and many menial tasks to conduct to ensure she is ready for the important day.

All the weddings in her village are planned to impress; they are a chance for the two joining families to show off their wealth and prosperity, and she has to incorporate this idea into her plans. This causes more work to be piled onto her shoulders, and she has no time to take the long breaks she did in his clearing.

He is left with no choice but to accept that she is drifting away from his lake. Although she still returns to escape the stress of greeting relatives and dress fittings, she never stays for long, and still looks hassled as she departs.

His waters are not enough right now to effect her the way they have for so many years. But he hopes that it will not remain this way forever.

His best hope is to wish that the wedding somehow be miraculously called off. But he does not realize what dire consequences this wish has.

It happens on the night of her fiancé's bachelor party. The men take him out drinking; an unwise decision, because many are unaware of his inability to handle large amounts of alcohol and still remain rash.

Although he is unsure of the exact events that occurred leading up to the most frightful moment of his existence, he can infer that she was on her way to his lake. In the pitch blackness of the night.

She always was too headstrong for her own good.

He hears the footsteps long before he sees them. They are quick and heavy, as if the owner is in a hurry...or in danger.

He hears the shallow breathing, but does not realize it is her until she releases a loud scream.

_"Grimmjow!"_

He is quick to swim up to just below the surface, so as to get a good view of the events happening on the land adjacent to his lake.

This is when he sees her stumbling into the open area, and his heart roars in turmoil.

Her face is covered in mud and leaves, courtesy of the forest she has just run through. Her feet are bare, and covered in scratches, with blood oozing out of them. They look beaten, as if she has just run the distance too intensely for them to support it. Any other bare skin on her body is in the same condition, most probably from misshapen branches on trees and the many thorny plants in the area.

She has, no doubt, come straight from an evening dance lesson, because she is in a black dress. Its large straps are slipping down her shoulders, and he realizes this is because the back has been ripped open, the zipper broken off. Her scratched arms are clutching the straps, trying to cover her upper body as best as they can. Her dress is, in his opinion, too short. But he soon understands why.

The bottom of the fabric is frayed, as if it has been roughly ripped apart. And it has.

The missing piece of the dress is not too far behind. Moments later, a blue haired man stumbles into the clearing.

He has sneaked away from his own party, the other men too drunk to notice.

His face is bright red, as a result of his intoxication. His eyes are blurred, as if he has no inclination of his current location. A cruel smile is playing on his lips, as if he is enjoying the act he is committing. And in his hand is a large chunk of frayed black fabric.

He looks like he is having fun. She does not.

She backs away, a look of horror on her face from so harshly discovering what her childhood friend's true personality is, not realizing she is heading towards the lake and cornering herself.

Her predator – his sadistic grin and felinely posture make him seem like one – steps closer. He throws the torn chunk of dress away, having no need for it. Instead, his eyes linger on her bare shoulders and he licks his lips.

A shudder racks her body as she notices his actions. She knows what is going to happen to her.

"Why?" she asks weakly. So weakly that he feels his heart break. This fragility is not her.

"'Cause," he says roughly. "It's fun. It's fun to be in control, and it's fun to see that look on your face, when you _realize_ I'm in control."

And he steps closer yet again.

Both humans and spirit realize she has nowhere to run at the same time. She has reached the edge of the lake, and he is too close for her to bolt. Her attacker reaches out a hand, an excited gleam in his eyes.

He tries to convince himself that what he does next is simply because he does not wish to see such a heinous crime be committed under his watch, rather than his insanely intense desire - no, _need -_ to protect her from any harm that comes her way.

He whips himself out of the lake. The water, his companion element, circles his slim body, attracted to his spirit and feeling his intense emotions along with him. He is like a whirlpool suspended in the air, heading towards the man that shares his waters' color.

He wastes no time in pelting his body towards the human, the water acting as his weapon.

She has her back to the lake and does not realize what is taking place behind her, but her obviously-ex-fiancé has a clear view. He does not even have time to widen his eyes when the large vortex of water slams against his body.

Again and again, he smashes into the man who tries futilely to fight back. Finally, one hit is critical, and his body hits the ground.

The spirit feels relief, but only for the moment. An unexpected complication suddenly arises from his act of heroism.

The reason for his assault is too surprised by her sudden savior that she jumps back, a yelp on the tip of the tongue. It only escapes when her foot slips on the edge, and her body dunks under the water of the lake that is deeper than it looks. It has to be; it houses a powerful spirit after all.

She does not expect the waters to be so cold and endless. Perhaps this is why she has trouble swimming. Or perhaps she is still in shock.

Either way, he has no choice but to leave the scum lying on the land as he plunges into his river, praying that she has not been harmed.

Her aroma hits him like a bullet train, and despite his rush, he takes a moment to fully enjoy it. It has been so long since she last took a plunge into the lake with her entire body; usually she just dips her feet. He marvels at how much her taste has changed. She is a full woman now, and definitely tastes like one. If he thought she was intoxicating before, she is positively exquisite now.

She looks rather comical, though he does not laugh. Her eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open, probably from the sight of his giant body rushing at her full speed. However, she has enough sense to hold her breath. Her extremities lay motionless, not even trying to help the owner save herself from drowning. It is up to him.

When he reaches her, he circles around her form before sending her a look that clearly orders her to grab on. Despite her petrified state, she does so.

It is indubitably the wrong time, but he feels pleasant shivers pass through his body at her first touch. Her hand is warmer than himself, and it feels unbelievably alluring.

He memorizes the touch, enjoying the rough way she grabs onto his back. He wonders if she is just as rough grabbing onto other body parts.

After a mental slap to the head ("This is _not_ the time," he reprimands himself), he glides smoothly but swiftly to the surface.

She takes in a deep gasp of breath when they surface. He watches her chest rise and fall rapidly, but pushes all thoughts of anything but her safety away.

He takes a moment to search for the bastard he spared in his panic to help her, and notices that he is still lying in the same spot, passed out. No doubt from the alcohol in his system.

When he hears the gasping slow down, he gingerly places her on the ground sitting up, her legs still dangling in the water so he can continue enjoying her taste.

They are face-to-face. It is his first time being so close to her, and he is awed at how breathtakingly beautiful she is to him.

However, she has a different mindset.

"_W-What are you?" _she asks shakily, her eyes wide from the shock. Her form is shaking from the chily air, made worse from her wet clothing. She pays it no mind, too focused on him.

He stiffens, unsure of how to respond, considering the night's events.

This is_ not_ how he expected to meet her.

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**I'm so awesome for updating this so quickly! And as promised, this chapter is longer, so I hope that satisfies you guys. But now you'll have to be patient again, because I'm going to focus on the next chapter of _Bite the Bullet_ before updating this again; after all, I have to give my stories equal amounts of attention. And I am totally prepared at the rants for leaving off _just when they first met!_  
**

**Moving on, just like I said, Grimmjow was a major factor in helping the two meet. I'm pretty sure that without his horrible acts, there is no way Toushiro would have ever considered revealing himself to Karin. So, sorry to Grimmjow fans for making him a rapist, but I chose him as Karin's fiance specifically for that scene. He was the best character for the role out of the list I made of possible fiances.**

**Thoughts, comments, flames? Let me know! I eagerly await your critique.  
**


	4. An Awaited Exchange

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

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He feels like an idiot for just staring, but he is unsure of what to say. Not that he can speak in this form.

But he feels foolish for not moving a single muscle either. Though his lack of action is perfectly justified in his mind.

He has finally met her! She is seated before him, she is watching him, she is finally aware of his existence!

"_Hey!" _he is suddenly shocked by her snappish call to attention. The wonder and awe that had been in her eyes previously are now no longer present; she only looks irritated, and slightly confused."I asked you a question. What the hell are you?"

It is laughably endearing to hear her make demands, because it is most definitely like her to not display any fear, even when facing a giant beast for the first time. Yet he is faced with a dilemma.

How should he answer when he is unable to talk? He absolutely refuses to disgrace himself in front of her by drawing letters on the ground with his snout...but there seems to be no other way.

Gritting his sharp teeth in an effort to calm the humiliation, he slowly glides towards the sandy earth.

She watches in complete fascination as he slowly begins to write in the human language with the dirt.

_'Please do not be alarmed. I mean you no harm.'_

She rolls her eyes.

"Well, that much is pretty obvious, genius. I mean, you did just save me from drowning." After a slight pause, she says in a rush, "Thanks for that, by the way."

She assumes the strange grumbling sounds she hears are laughter, though she does not understand why he, or she - _it? - _would be laughing at her remark.

To him, it is extremely funny that she can insult him with her sarcasm and thank him, though only slightly sincerely, in the same sentence.

"Anyway," she continues, "I still want to know who you are."

He notices her switch from 'w_hat' _to _'who.' _Apparently, being able to communicate with her makes him less inferior in her book. She is so simple.

_'I am what I appear to be. A dragon.'_

She stares at the writing for a moment in complete disbelief, before clearing her throat.

"Uh-huh. A dragon. Of course."

It is clear from her tone that she thinks he is lying. And he finds this amusing. How on earth can he fake being a large, scaly monster that is able to glide through air and control water as though it is a weapon?

And who will go to such lengths to play such a trick on her, especially after she has just experienced such a horrendous encounter?

But he has always assumed, because of her personality, that she has never been trusting of strangers, even though he has never seen her interact with those she is not familiar with. Apparently, his speculations are correct.

"And tell me, oh almighty dragon, what exactly are you doing in such a secluded part of the area at this late hour?"

Her sarcasm brings out his cheeky side, which has not surfaced since he was a young hatchling.

_'I could ask you the same question.'_

It is fascinating to watch the red marks appear on her cheek at his reply.

"T-that is none of your business," her voice becomes more firm, despite the stutter at the beginning. She looks as if she is both aggravated and embarrassed at the prospect of answering and childishly says, "And I asked you first."

He does not want to answer, because he is positive that will lead to many questions about why he has never revealed himself. Which, in turn, will surely lead to a confession that he has been watching her since her youth.

And he absolutely refuses to be labeled a sexual predator by her before they even begin anything remotely resembling a friendship.

_'Apparently, I was saving you.'_

He feels wretched for bringing up the incident – the slight look of horror that returns to her eyes makes him growl menacingly towards the blue-haired figure lying only a few feet away – but they _do _need to take care of the bastard as quickly as possible.

He whips his tail, which is submerged in the water, to capture her attention with the splashes. When she meets his eyes, he sends her a determined look and lowers his face to the dirt once again.

_'Would you like me to take care of him?'_

He wishes direly that she accept his proposal. He knows many different ways to end the man's life, or perhaps cause his disappearance without arousing any suspicion towards the two of them.

She just gapes at the question at first.

"Why would you care what happens to him?" she wants to know.

He scowls. How could she even ask?

_'Because he is vermin.'_

She eyes him curiously, before shaking her head.

"No. I'll just hand him over to the men in our town. They'll lock him up." The scowl on her face slightly drops to a saddened expression. It is to be expected; her childhood crush has been harshly ended after all.

In a hush, she mumbles, "I guess this means the wedding's off. Yuzu will be crushed."

It scares him that she is taking the incident so lightly. Even if he knows she is a strong, confident woman, the idea that she does not even bat an eye at the fact that she was almost assaulted is worrisome. She needs to fear for herself more.

When she pulls herself out of the water completely, he feels the loss deeply. He used to be perfectly content with his isolated lake that was usually overlooked by many and left alone, but her taste is so much fresher than even his clear waters.

He watches her as she heads over to her previous mate. An amused low growl meant to be a chuckle escapes his lips as he watches her nudge the man's face with her feet, to check if he is truly unconscious. Soon, she starts checking his vitals to make sure he is not in any immediate danger from the mixture of alcohol and attacks.

After all, dragging a half beaten body into the village would raise too many undesired questions.

"Yo, Mr. Lizard-"

_'I am not a lizard. I am a dragon.'_

"Right. Same thing." He suppresses the growl making its way to his throat. "So, what are you doing here?"

Undesired questions like that.

She is so hellbent on discovering the answer to the question that she refuses to drop it. Maybe if he avoids mentioning his daily activities that take place when she arrives – he can't see _that _conversation going over well – he can make it through the exchange unscathed and uninjured.

_'...this is my lake.'_

She is so surprised she drops the head she has lifted into her hands to check for head injuries from the fall.

"What do you mean _your lake?_"

Instead of writing the long explanation out, he decides to show her. Slowly lifting his body into the air, he glides gracefully out to the center of the waters. He channels his powers to spread throughout his body. The effect is instantaneous.

The lake feels hi energy, remembers his presence, and reacts accordingly.

She watches in awe as he swims circles above the surface of the lake, and the water actually _follows him. _It slowly rises and, as his speed increases into an imperceivable blur, the water spins so rapidly that there is suddenly a large tornado of water spinning atop the peaceful lake she has always loved for its tranquility.

"Oh my _Kami_," she whispers in amazement.

When he finally lands in front of her again, she is still wide-eyed.

"T—this is...really happening, isn't it?...I think I need to sit down for a while."

She allows herself to flop down to the ground, staring at it as if it will suddenly tell her she is dreaming. Or maybe mental.

He watches her cautiously. This is not a good reaction, but it is expected. At least she didn't faint.

"This cannot be real. Dragons don't exist. Dragons are a fairytale Mom used to tell me so I wouldn't go into the woods alone," she pauses in her conversation with herself to snort, "A lot of good_ that_ did."

After taking a deep breath, she finally musters the strength to look at him directly.

"So you really are a dragon?" she asks him, though she still looks incredulous.

He nods his head. She flinches at his response, perhaps because it is the final confirmation that this is reality.

"Okay. That's...cool, I guess." After gulping a couple of times and taking a few deep breaths, she shakily stands up. "Well, I guess I should be heading home now. I'm sure everyone is really worried."

He watches her closely as she bends over the blue haired scum that is now snoring loudly.

She grabs him by the arm, and begins to drag him forcefully. Despite his large size, she manages because she is pretty strong. However, she takes no care in avoiding the rocks and twigs on the path, so that her attacker is subjected to many scratches. He feels an odd sense of pride.

She is half the size of her load, and he enjoys the slight crinkle that appears in her forehead as she tugs with all her might. Not to mention the way she digs her heels into the ground in order to lean as far back as possible and pull. And when she makes grunting noises as she heaves. In short, he finds the entire scene very cute.

When she pauses in her efforts, he is disappointed.

"Hey, Mr. Dragon? If I come back here tomorrow, will you still be here?"

He hesitates. It is not a smart choice to mingle with her longer than he has already today.

But he really wants to. And she looks so hopeful. He does not want to crush her hope.

When he gives a curt nod, she smiles widely.

"Perfect. I have so many more questions!" And she disappears into the cover of the woods.

Terrific. He will definitely be looking forward to _that._

Just how much should he tell her? How much is he _allowed _to tell her? If he tells her too much, it will only put her at risk. But he does not want to straight out lie to the woman. He does not think he can anyway, even if he tries.

In addition, he feels extremely foolish by conversing through drawing patterns in the ground. It aggravates his snout, and, of course, he does not want to face the further embarrassment of communicating by sticking his nose into the dirt.

And then he is struck with the most obvious idea. The kind that makes him wish his dragon arms were slightly longer so he can smack his forehead for not having thought of this sooner.

_'Why didn't I just talk to her in my human form__!'_

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**I made Karin speak in modern dialect so she sounds more boy-ish. I hope that didn't effect anybody's perception of the story/setting/time period. It's because in my new story, _Armistice, _I have her speak without using any abbreviations or apostrophes (in the present timeline) and while that makes her sound more formal and set in the time period, it takes away from her rough and tomboy personality, so I changed it up for this story.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	5. Trial By Soccer

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

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He is very uncomfortable. It has been so long since he has been in his human form, not since he was very young.

The sun is very warm, and he wishes he could jump back into his cool lake.

He runs a hand, clumsily, through his spiky white hair. It is not very tame, but that is to be expected, because he is not one for a casual monthly visit to the barber. Now he berates this choice.

In addition to this dilemma, he is also very unpracticed with using his extremities. Although he is impressed with the human thumb, it has been a very long time since he has walked on land with two feet. The act is feasible but awkward for him, and is periodically halted with stumbles.

He has forgotten how disagreeable clothing is. Although, the clothing his sister bought for him many months ago is very open and breezy, and he thanks her dearly for this. No stuffy collars or itchy sleeves. It makes the situation slightly more bearable.

So does the fact that the object of his affections is going to appear at any moment.

He awaits her arrival eagerly, yet also anxiously. He knows she is awed by his dragon form, and hopes she finds his human form just as pleasing. It will be a step towards friendship.

When she arrives, he notices she has obviously not been in one of her lessons. Her choice of wear is as boyish and simple as his own dress, and he is highly amused by this. Tucked under her arm is a battered object, which he recognizes as her beloved ball of soccer.

"Mr. Dragon!" he hears her calling. "Where are you?"

Taking in a calming breath, which does not work very well, he slowly trudges away from the woods and towards the figure carefully searching for his form in the lake.

"Hello, Ms. Karin," he calls out. "I'm glad to see you've made it safely."

Her reaction is not one he expects. When she whips around quickly, he becomes aware that something is wrong.

When she instantly drops her ball and sets her hands as fists in front of her body protectively, he becomes aware that _he_ is what is wrong.

"Who the hell are you?" she demands. He is surprised.

"What? I-It's me!"

The words have only just left his mouth when her fist makes contact with his jaw. He stumbles back from the force of the attack.

He thanks Kami that there is no sickening crack; he has tough bones. But the pain shooting through his jaw is intense. The girl has one hell of a punch!

She is already curling up her fists once again, and preparing herself for the next punch.

"Ms. Karin, stop! I mean you no harm."

"Oh, is that right, you sick pervert? So you just make it a habit to follow young girls into the woods?"

She punches again, but he is ready this time. When her fist comes within close proximity, he catches it with his palm and twists her arm behind her back, though not hard enough to cause her pain.

"Ms. Karin. If you would please let me explain. It's me."

"Me _who_, idiot? I've never seen you before."

"...Mr. Dragon," he answers in a mortified hush.

She snorts in disbelief.

"I think you're missing a few things there, buddy. Like scales for one. And a tail, for another."

He releases her once he feels her calm slightly. She steps away and faces him, her arms crossed and a defiant look across her face.

"I know it is very difficult to believe, because I look so unlike the creature you met yesterday. But this is my human form."

"Prove it," she commands. He nods gently, knowing there is no other way.

When he begins removing his shirt, she yelps.

"O-Oi! What the hell are you doing?" she screeches, a flush rising to her cheeks. "I knew you were a pervert."

Now he is embarrassed.

"This clothing will not fit me once I transform," he explains quickly. "I have no other choice but to remove it, or else it will tear and I will have nothing more to wear once I change-"

"Alright already. I get it. Just hurry up."

She huffs in chagrin and turns away from him, giving him privacy.

He is quick in removing all that is adorning his body. It feels strange to be bare only inches away from her.

He awkwardly steps over to the water, seats himself at the edge, and pushes himself forward, sliding gracefully into the lake and submerging himself. Being surrounded by water gives him an added strength in order to transform quickly.

It has been years since he has experienced the sensation of transforming. It feels foreign to his body, just as the act of changing into a human had, hours prior.

His skin begins changing first, switching from soft flesh to rough and hardy scales. He feels his body elongating into that of a slithery serpent. Soon, his extremities become shorter, and more hunched into his body. His fingers lengthen into claws, his newly acquired thumbs recede into his hands. He feels a tail protrude from his posterior.

His face changes last. His hair becomes shorter and flatter, stretching out along his back. His nose extends into a snout, while his ears shift to a higher position on his head, and become pointed. The pupils of his eyes constrict, his teeth become fangs.

He becomes a mighty dragon.

When his changes have ceased, he whips his tail in the water, just as the day before, to capture her attention with the splashes.

It is satisfying to see her turn, freeze, and gape.

"Wow," she breathes. He feels arrogant, until she continues. "Mr. Dragon is a _kid?_"

He growls menacingly. She, rather than appearing frightened, chuckles.

"You don't like that, huh? Me calling you a kid, I mean. I guess that's one trait we share."_ S_he pauses to stare at him in wonder. _"I have something in common with a dragon..."_

He chuckles too, pleased with this new discovery.

"All right, I guess I believe you now, Mr. Dragon...oh, I guess I should stop calling you Mister, huh?"

He gently nods his head, and then begins making strange jerky motions with it. She only stares at his odd behavior, not understanding what he is trying to tell her.

"What?"

The strangest sound escapes his lips just then. It sounds like he is in pain, and she becomes alarmed, worried that something has gone wrong with his transformation.

It is a groan. After all the trouble he has gone through to meet her as a human and communicate with dignity, he still has no choice but to resort to the old way!

Gritting his teeth, he, very slowly, bends his face towards the ground, until his snout is touching the dirt.

_'Please look away.'_

"...Why?"

Too mortified with the situation already, he only has the patience to write out three words.

_'Human form. Nude.'_

She is not the only one flushing as she turns around.

After his changes are complete, he scrambles to slip on his clothing.

"All right Ms. Karin. You may look."

She immediately spins around, and the look on her face is one of scrutiny. She walks closer, and he instantly feels uncomfortable when she is only two inches from his face.

She looks at his face from every angle, then pulls backs and looks at the rest of him very carefully.

"Hmmmm...you'll do, I suppose," is her review. "You're kinda scrawny, which is unexpected from a dragon, but I can live with that. At least you're a looker, though your hair makes you seem more albino than anything."

He is not sure whether he should be relieved, but decides he is, since this reaction is better than flat out disapproval.

They seat themselves on the lake's edge, like she has done for years. For her it is comforting because of the routine. For him it is comforting because he is seated so close to water.

"Do all dragons look like you?"

"Dragons, much like humans, are unique in appearance and personality. The only trait they may share is their powers, depending on the element they thrive in. I look and act differently from my fellow water spirits, but we all possess the ability to control water."

"_Cool_. And, are there a lot of dragons. I mean, living near, or with, humans? It would probably be hard to tell."

"My guess would be no. Many dragons are isolated creatures. There are few that are not – many of my own companions are examples – but a dragon will feel more comfortable and safe staying close to a constant source of their element, which is usually difficult to find in a human village."

"So that's why you stay here, in this lake!"

"Correct. This lake is my home, has been for years. It is unknown to most of the human population, which I appreciate as I like my privacy. It remains unpolluted also, as a result. And should I ever need to call upon my powers, as I did last night -" both their faces darken as they remember the events of the previous night, and his powerful water attacks "- I have the water available to aid me, and provide added strength."

"But are there a lot of you? Why aren't there more sightings of dragons? Why are you guys myths now?"

"To answer your first question, yes, there are many dragons scattered across the globe. Most are not known of because, as I said previously, their source of strength is located in a secluded area. Those that are not still do not make it a point to advertise their existence."

"Why?"

"Well think for a moment. How do you think the many residents in your village would react if they were to learn that a dragon, a powerful creature with ten times their strength and magical ability, existed among them?"

She pursed her lips, knowing the answer, but not liking it.

"...I suppose most would be frightened."

"Exactly. Your unaffected reaction is very rare among humans who meet dragons."

And they lapse into silence, each pondering what they have discussed.

It does not take long for her to grow bored with the silence, and ask the most important question, at least in her books.

"Do you know how to play soccer, Mr. Dr...oh no, I mean, um-"

"Toushiro," he supplies. "You may refer to me as Toushiro."

"Toush it is!" she agrees happily. He does not bother pointing out that this is not what he told her he wanted to be called. After all, a pet name signifies a close relationship. "You know how to play soccer, Toush?"

"I know the basic concepts, yes." He chooses to leave out the information that he only knows from watching her play for years.

It seems all the times his eyes followed her should be gratified, because her eyes shine with obvious acceptance at his knowledge of soccer.

"Then let's play."

She runs over and grabs the soccer ball she had dropped previously, and places it in front of her feet. He hesitantly stands a few feet away, facing her.

"I must warn you. I am not very good with my feet -"

"Heads up!"

She has obviously ignored what he was trying to say; instead, she kicks her soccer ball towards him. With unnecessary strength, he thinks, as he just barely manages to catch it beneath his foot. She grins.

"Alright, those two shrubs will be your goal, and these two trees will be mine. First one to three wins."

She rushes at him, her face determined, her eyes on the ball. As a result of the panic from her sudden charge, he kicks it out of her reach without realizing it. She scowls and changes direction.

He begins running towards the designated goal. Actually, it is more of a waddle. He is very unsure of the placement of his feet, and is given no time to think about it, as she is fast approaching. So he keeps going.

"You have to be better than that, Toush!" she says with a triumphant smirk, as she steals the ball away. He has no hope of catching up as they change direction.

It is absolutely humiliating when he tries to kick the ball away from behind, crosses his feet, and trips on his own leg. She takes no care to stifle the laughter that erupts from her lips moments later.

Wiping dirt off of his nose – even in human form he is subjected to it! – he stands up just in time to see her score.

"Goal!" she screeches delightedly. To be fair, she kicks the ball towards him, to give him another chance to score. It is no help.

Only seconds into the game, he tries to kick the ball, only for his foot to land on top. It rolls over the ball, and he is thrown onto the ground. The worst part is that the ball flies backwards, into his own goal!

"That's one more point for me," she is helpful enough to point out. "One more and you lose."

Needless to say, she wins. And he is left spitting dirt out of his mouth as she fishes her ball out of the two shrubs.

"You suck, Toush," she says pointedly, but he can see she is happy that she won. His approval rating has just gone up in her eyes for losing, and he silently thanks his clumsy feet.

When she decides to head home, she leaves behind the soccer ball.

"So you can practice," she explains in response to his quizzical look. "You're not a man in my eyes until you can score at least one goal against me."

He gets no sleep that night, but he does get accustomed to the taste of dirt.

* * *

******Tell me Moon Of Jupiter, what did you think of Karin's reaction to his human form? I thought of your review when writing it.**

**I actually had this done a long time ago, but I had trouble with the website and couldn't upload it. A thousand thanks and hugs to CrystallineX, who put up the trick needed to finally make it work on her story _Re:Hollowfication._**

**Oh well, it's finally up, so I hope you enjoyed it.**


	6. Bone Chilling Memories

**OMG, an update_?_! You must be seeing things, right? Nah, it's a real and true update! I give you all the right to cuss me out if you feel like it. I deserve it after making you wait..._3 months_?_! _Gosh, where does the time go?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

* * *

Her family grows worried quickly. It has been too short a time period since her ex-fiancé attacked her for her to be wandering so freely, and without protection at that, yet the next afternoon she simply disappears, returning only late in the evening.

Growing worried, they take measures, such as asking around town, yet none know where she has disappeared to, only that she was seen leaving the house sometime earlier in the morning, and has not been spotted since.

She is blissfully ignorant of the suspicions, choosing instead to enjoy the time she spends with her new friend, who is just so fascinating to her – much more so than the boring men who hang around her own town, who always get drunk at midday and whistle provocatively at passing women. But when she finally returns home, she finds a hysterical older brother.

"Karin!" he cries once she walks through the door. He lunges at her and places both hands on her shoulder, his eyes almost bugging out of their sockets as he pulls her closer. "Where the hell _were_ you?"

She tries to pull back, shocked at his sudden haggard state.

"Ichi-nii, what's wrong?"

"W-we were so w-worried," a tearful Yuzu stutters from her place on a chair. She places her head into her hands, hunching slightly as her shoulders shake from the new tears. "W-we thought something h-horrible happened to you!"

"What did you think you were doing when you left so suddenly this morning?" her father reprimands, an uncharacteristically serious glare in his eyes. "No note, no mention of ever going out. What were we supposed to think?"

She pushes away her brother, eyeing her family in shock.

"What's got you all so pissed? I leave all the time."

"Oh, and do you get attacked by drunken bastards all the time, too?" Ichigo demands, scowling now. Her stomach twists at the realization. "That kind of news would be good to know, so that next time, when you disappear the day after suddenly getting attacked, we don't have to bloody search the entire damn town for you, and hope we don't find your mangled body somewhere in the woods!"

She stares at them all in horror, her mouth gaping as she attempts to think of something to say. Yuzu's sobs get louder as the shrill silence cuts through all of them.

"I'm disappointed in you, Karin," her father scolds her sadly. "Can't you think of others for a change?"

And this angers her. She feels her guilt ebb away into rage, and her hands go on her hips.

"Think of someone else?" she screeches. "You have no right to say that when you gallivant through town like a drunken idiot every morning! What's wrong with all of you? You know I can take care of myself. Who beat up six guys last week for trying to touch Yuzu? _All by herself_?"

"This is different," her sister surprisingly speaks up, lifting up her tear stained face to shoot her a frightened look through watery eyes. "We saw the state you were in yesterday, Karin. You were so beat up, and looked like you were ready to collapse."

"Grimmjow was worse," she rebukes coolly, her arms crossing across her chest.

"Only because he was intoxicated," her father argues. "What would have happened if he had tried to attack you sober? You couldn't have fought him off."

"Oh?" she demands, her eyes – and pride – flaring up. "Maybe we should bring him out and have him attack me again, test that theory."

"Stop that, Karin," Ichigo commands.

"No! It seems like it'll be the only way any of you will trust me by myself ever again!"

"Enough!" her father bellows, and she does in her shock, staring at him with a baffled expression. "Go to your room for tonight. And I don't want this happening again."

"No. I'm going out tomorrow, and none of you can stop me!"

And before any of them can argue, she half stomps and half runs away to her sleeping quarters without a backwards glance.

"Oh, Masaki," Isshin mutters, running a hand through his hair in despair. "Please watch over our precious daughter. She'll get herself in serious trouble one day, and I might not be around to stop it."

Karin stands, pacing in her room, her anger still blazing from the argument.

How could they all gang up on her like that? Ichigo, especially, who himself despises how suffocating it feels to be trapped without any freedom or free will. Or even Yuzu, who knows and understands her best, and is well aware of her need to be let alone to her own choices.

But perhaps it is her father's reaction that fans the fumes the most. His seriousness and anger is something she has never witnessed. Already being a rebellious spirit, seeing the fire in him only makes her that much more determined to fight back. He has always taught her to think for herself, to remain outside the herds of sheep, so why would he attempt to restrict her?

Somewhere deep inside, she knows they are only concerned for her safety, only worry for her well-being as a family should. But there is no longer a threat to worry them so senselessly – Grimmjow has been locked away already.

She feels a strange twist in her chest as she remembers him, his deep blue hair and eyes, his handsome face, his rugged build, his roughish grin, which had looked so dangerous and full of ill intent that night...

After she had dragged him through the rough terrain of the forest, he had looked a little worse for wear, his hair covered in twigs and his clothing sopping wet. Alarm had aroused a large crowd of people, who had instantly surrounded the pair, inquiring about the reasons behind their careworn states.

She had, with the best of her ability to lie, omitted any mention of a certain scaly beast, but had told them the truth of his intentions toward her, simply stating that in his drunken state, he had tripped over a large root and banged his head on a tree, causing him to pass out. A large bump caused from his fainting after Toushiro's attacks had proven her theory to be true, though mostly because no one had reason to believe otherwise.

Men had surrounded the bastard, checking his vitals like she had. Someone had been sent to notify his family, while the rest had mumbled under their breaths about his disgrace and his sentence. The women had rushed straight to her, coddling her like some child, which she had always hated. They had covered her in a thick blanket and attempted to soothe her with a mug of something hot.

Her friends had been hectic, apologizing profusely at any chance they had gotten about letting him slip away so easily, for not knowing of his hidden character, for not keeping an eye on him. She had forcefully smiled at them, assuring them that she had not been harmed, it had not been their fault, and that _"you should head home to rest because you all stink of alcohol and it's making me nauseous."_

They had been wise enough to stumble away, albeit still apologizing at random moments to thin air, thinking her beside them in their drunken frenzy. Her small, amused chuckle had been cut short by Yuzu clamping her arms around her neck and nearly choking her in a tight and tearful embrace. Her father and brother had been livid, cracking their knuckles menacingly at the still form of her attacker, and had only turned away in their attempt to castrate him when she had expressed a desire to head home.

On her way home, she had gazed back sadly at her ex-fiancé, her ex-lover, her ex-friend, her ex-first crush, who was being carried away by a group of men to his own home. In that moment, when she had briefly been foolish enough to look back, he had stirred, and his eyes, bloodshot from the alcohol and events, had snapped open so suddenly. He had glared at her then, and with the ferocity of a wild beast unsatisfied after letting its desirable prey escape through its clutches.

It had shaken her, she is ashamed to admit. It had cut through her, straight to the core, chilling her bones and freezing her frame in complete and total fear so much worse than when he had been actually chasing her. And yet she had been unable to look away, unable to break eye contact with that crazed and wild gaze. Those blood red eyes with the large purple bags underneath had held her in place, _controlled_ her so easily, and she had almost begun to tremble right on the spot, not caring that witnesses had been everywhere.

It had only been him and her in that second, and nothing else had mattered except that he _knew _the effect he had been having on her. Perhaps that had been why a corner of his mouth had lifted just slightly – no one else had noticed but she had not teared her gaze away from his face, so she had known – and he had smirked straight at her, the same cocky smirk that had always made her melt over the years, but with more malice.

_You haven't seen the last of me, _it had seemed to say, and though there had been no draft that night, she had felt herself shiver, a shudder that had not gone away even when she had wrapped the blanket around herself as tightly as possible. He had passed out again soon afterwards and had been carried away, but she had stood staring at that same spot in masked horror for a long time until her brother had placed a gentle arm over her shoulders and led her away.

It still alarms her at this very moment, whenever she thinks of it. Her anger at her family dissipates slightly as she feels the familiar chill pass through her, and she wraps her arms around her for warmth, sitting down at the edge of her bed and rocking slightly.

She had really felt something for him - something maybe even akin to love, though her tough tomboy reputation had never allowed her to admit it to anyone, or even herself. He had been with her through her childhood; she had seen him mature, seen the looks he gained effortlessly from women, seen the way he gazed at her...what had happened? She had thought he liked her too, thought he had been delighted by the engagement as much as she had. His hot gazes had always made her feel special somehow, maybe because she had never had any adamant suitors; the men had usually only looked at Yuzu, reserving only brief, lusftful flicks of the eyes for her. So Grimmjow's gaze had been precious, causing happiness. And now, all his gaze makes her feel is disgust and dread.

Perhaps this is why she had gone out this afternoon. It had been an attempt to clear her mind, to get away from that fear that Grimmjow instilled in her, even after learning that he had been locked away for his attempted crimes – flimsy bars do not make her feel safe. She _hates _feeling helpless, and so seeking companionship and security with a large, powerful creature that had beaten Grimmjow senseless in less than a minute had seemed so appealing.

And it had been, she affirms. The afternoon had been wonderful, filled with new knowledge and laughter. Thoughts of a dangerous Grimmjow had been replaced with those of a seemingly perverted but actually quite entertaining Toushiro. Learning of the lives of his kind had left her in wonder, and playing a breezy game of soccer with him had left her at ease.

She had seen determination in his eyes as she had left behind her ball for him to practice with, and when she had returned home, instead of feeling anxiety from thoughts of a predator, she had felt anticipation at the thought of playing another game with him soon, to mark his improvements and tease his stumbles.

_'I'm going out again tomorrow,' _she asserts to herself with determination. _'Toush will be waiting for me, and they have no right to keep me from seeing my friends.'_

The same thought goes through her mind next morning, when she enters the kitchen area to be greeted with silence. Her father and Yuzu are nowhere to be seen, and she assumes they have already gone ahead to treat patients at her family's small healing business.

Only Ichigo remains seated at their table, and he does not bother looking up from his food when she enters, staring fixedly at his plate. She feels a scowl plant itself on her lips at his childishness.

_'Silent treatment, huh?' _she thinks angrily. _'Che, whatever.'_

She seats herself down too, and digs into the plate Yuzu has left prepared for her. The two chew in silence, and when she finishes, she grabs both their plates and scrubs them with soap and water. He does not comment on her strangely domestic action, and she feels unjustifiably furious at his lack of interest in her.

_'You sure had plenty to say to me yesterday,' _she thinks bitterly, but still does not comment aloud. After she finishes her task, she dries the two dishes with a rag and sets them away in their rightful place. Then, she stretches nonchalantly.

"Well, I'm heading out," she announces casually. He still does not say anything, but he does gaze up to glare at her.

She ignores his heated and silent gaze on her back as she heads out, though she feels an absurd sense of guilt, which she tries to squash unsuccessfully.

_'Damn him.' _Who is he to make her feel this way, like she is betraying her family? He just doesn't know, hadn't taken the time to listen to her and realize that she would be the safest she could be with Toushiro. _'Having to worry about me serves him right, then.' _And with that thought, she trudges through the trees, her shoulders scrunched as she breathes deeply.

They flatten instantly when she enters her favorite clearing to find a sleeping Toushiro, hunched up with his knees drawn to his chest, hugging the socer ball tightly in his arms and cradling it protectively to his body, his head lying atop it. All that is missing to complete the infantile scene is a thumb in his mouth.

At this last thought, she snorts loudly in amusement, and instantly claps a hand over her mouth. He stirs slightly at the sound, and she waits with baited breath until he stills once again.

_'So even the almighty Mr. Dragon can look like this, huh?' _she snickers in her head. She slowly leans over to look at him more closely, placing her hands on her knees. Despite their matching height, he looks so much smaller in this fetal position. His hair is messed up and has tints of red from lying in the dirt. As do his clothes, which, she notes, are the sames ones he had worn yesterday. His hands are scratched up, for some odd reason.

She observes his face closely and, to her surprise, he looks completely worn out. There are bags under his eyes and dirt smeared over the entirety of his face - it looks as if he has just barely dozed off a moment ago. She peers at the soccer ball clutched within his grasp, and it looks very beaten up too - well, more than it usualy does after she has used it for so many years.

_'You wanted to beat me that badly, Toush?' _she thinks with fascination. A smirk breaks out across her face. _'Well, I guess even dragons can have "manly" pride, if that's possible. My kicking his ass yesterday must've bruised his ego.'_

It delights her to think that she might just have a serious opponent now. Perhaps he would become so good that he could join her village team with her, and together, they could beat out the arrogant Jinta and his Oh So Superior team. Oh, she would just love to see the look on his face when the two tag-teamed his group of amateurs into oblivion. She wonders if losing a game would be enough to make him cry; she would love to see that. Though she's getting ahead of herself - she needs to check Toushiro's skill, first of all. And there was only one way to do that.

"Oi, Toushiro, get up!" Unable to help herself with this perfect and vulnerable opportunity, she swings back her leg and...

_Bam!_

The confused dragon goes rolling across the dirt from her powerful kick, getting the breath knocked out of him in the process as he rolls over the soccer ball. But he never lets go of it. Karin cracks up as he yanks himself into a sitting position, looking around drowsily in alarm.

"Ms. Karin?" he questions as he rubs his eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt your little hug fest" - he flushes as he sees the ball in his lap - "but I didn't think it was appropriate after you two've only known each other for one night."

He scrambles up, letting the ball roll off and away. She goes after it, placing a foot underneath and flicking it up into her hands, and then placing it against her hip.

"You look like crap," she tells him bluntly. He glowers as he attempts to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes and flatten his hair. It is all in vain, though, so he settles for simply patting off the dirt.

"What's up with your face, anyway?" she wants to know, striding over to rub a palm against his dirty cheek carefully. He stares at her in puzzlement before a look of understanding dawns on him.

"Well, you saw the way I played yesterday," he tells her, scowling a bit at the reminder of his failure. She stares at him for a second before grinning widely.

"So, what? You made out with the ground all night in disgrace?" He glares at her furiously. _'Ooh, touched a nerve.'_

"_You're_ the one who said to practice," he grumbles, jerking his head away from her hand in irritation at her teasing. But then, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, he mumbles softly, "I'm a man, damn it."

* * *

**Hopefully, this placates anyone who was worried I was planning to abandon this story. I'm not. In fact, though I haven't updated, I _have _been planning future chapters in more detail.**

**Which brings me to my next point: I want to sincerely thank NanaGoesBlehh for helping me plan this story, and for giving me ideas for interactions between the two, like finding him asleep and his dirty face. If she hadn't given me that idea, I probably would have ended this chapter right after Karin left the house. In the future chapters, I'll sometimes infuse some of her ideas into my story, and I'd like to give her my appreciation :) You're the best, Nana-chan!**

**I thought I would give Karin's POV in the story, as well as explain what happened to Grimmjow, and introduce the Kurosaki family, who will play a bigger part in later chapters, especially Ichigo.**


	7. Dragon Powers and Babies

**Gah! I'm working on the next chapters, which will hopefully be more exciting or cute, so _please_ put up with this filler one.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

* * *

She decides she does not want to play soccer today.

"How about a walk instead?" she suggests, shrugging a little as the idea comes to her. "Besides, don't be cocky and think you can beat a _master_ like me after only one night of practice," she boasts shamelessly.

Although he wants nothing more in this moment than to wipe the triumphant smirk off of her face, he knows she is right. The dirt patches on his clothing and the skinned injuries of his body are proof enough. And as he looks down at himself, muttering an affirmative to her request, he realizes for the first time that he is more than a little worse for wear.

He suddenly feels very dirty, grimy. Being a water dragon, he prides himself on keeping clean and orderly at all times, mainly because much of his time is spent _within _water. It is actually a trait other water dragons share among themselves, a fact that sends much ridicule and teasing their way from the Earth-based dragons, who prosper within the mud and filth of the ground. But he always ignores them, finding no flaw in a love for cleanliness.

As he observes his haggard state, he desires nothing more than to plunge headfirst into his lake behind him, which is splashing rather invitingly against the shore in the breeze. Gulping to calm himself from the urge, he turns with polite manners, extra refined, towards Karin, who is gazing up at the clear sky with a hand shielding her eyes from the glare and a far-off expression on her face, obviously lost in thought.

"Miss Karin," he calls, jolting her out of her mind. She raises an eyebrow at him, urging him to continue. "Would you mind if I...?" He trails off, pointing instead towards the rushing water of the lake, an expectant look on his face.

"Oh!" She nods quickly as understanding dawns upon her. Grinning slyly, she adds, teasing him with a snicker, "I guess even dragons need to _freshen up,_ huh?"

He glares over at her, not liking her teasing, as it reminds him of the rock types creatures.

_'She would get along well with Renji...'_

Meanwhile, when she slowly turns a complete circle, Karin finds herself facing the lake once again. However, this time, she finds a pair of discarded clothes abandoned by the edge rather than her new friend. The only thing to even suggest he is still there is the _whoosh _his body makes as he plunges into the body of water.

She hurriedly cups her eyes again, making a cover with her fingers to shield herself from the glare, and only has enough time to catch his spirited tail submerging into the water rapidly, causing small splashes and ripples to add to the waving motions of the lake. And then, the water settles a little more, once again moving in unaffected motions, the type that one would overlook as normal behavior for a lake had they not known of the great spirit residing within.

_'Wow...' _she marvels. _'Mr. Dragon's pretty cool.'_

Her curiosity overtakes her. Rushing to the water's edge, she plops down, crawling closer on her hands and knees in a crouch. Once she can see the reflection of both her face and her shoulders, she dips her head, even closer now to the liquid. Her nose an inch away from getting wet, she narrows her eyes very thinly, squinting in an attempt to peer through the clear blue color of the lake and catch a glimpse of the life underneath.

Okay, she admits it. What she really wants to see is Toushiro, feeling completely curious about his unknown life as a dragon. She wonders about his home, whether it is comfortable, and what sorts of accommodations are possible underwater. She wonders about his form, snaking through the water gracefully – it is something she has not had a chance to appreciate as of yet, as the last and only time she had seen it, it had been during a dire emergency and had overwhelmed her.

But she sees nothing. The waves cause too many ripples for her to get a good grip on her vision, and the blurriness of the element itself makes sightseeing an impossibility. The glare from the sun also adds hindrance to her task, and she huffs irritably, her lips puckering in distaste.

And then, in such a sudden action that she actually flails her arms backwards in an attempt to keep herself from falling straight into the lake, a _gigantic _body shoots out of the water, splashing water everywhere within its radius and frightening the tough tomboy to no end.

"Toushiro!" she cries out, on her back with her upper body propped up by her elbows. She gapes up at him in shock, his massive stature throwing a shadow over her as he looms above.

He paddles closer to her, twisting his head in an incline, gazing at her in obvious confusion. She looks down at herself in bemusement, not understanding his stare until she realizes she is covered in a moist spray of water and spread out on the ground in a very awkward position. She looks up sheepishly.

"You surprised me," she explains, clearing her throat. Scrambling up, she brushes herself off quickly. As she turns around to give him privacy, she continues, "I was just looking at the lake and you showed up so suddenly."

"Why were you so close?" he asks, and she can tell by his shadow stretching out underneath her that he is in his human form. She wisely keeps her eyes firmly glued to the trees ahead of her, lest she see the shadow of something she would rather not. The familiar rustling of him getting dressed starts.

"Oh, I just wanted a good look," she makes up. "The majestic waters seemed so beautiful -"

She smirks when she hears his disbelieving scoff.

"Oh, all right," she gives up. "I was just curious about what your home is like," she admits, and grits her teeth to help her to continue. She has never been one for apologies, after all, but she feels her friend deserves it. _"_I'm..._sorry_ I invaded your privacy like that."

"Hmm." He sounds thoughtful. "Well, I wouldn't mind showing you, _some day_, if you're really all that curious."

"Really?" she asks, excitement in every tone. He smirks as he hears the wonder in her voice, surprised that she seems so happy from such a simple request.

"Oh, sure. I see no problem with it."

She beams, turning around at the same moment when she hears the shuffling stop. He is dressed in the simplest of outfits – a sleeveless shirt and shorts. But she cannot help but notice that they are very different from yesterday's wear.

"That's not what you were wearing yesterday," she observes.

"You humans change clothes on a daily basis, correct?" he asks, seeming rather confused at her surprise.

"The normal ones, yeah," she answers, grinning for a brief second before her eyebrows pucker. "But, where did those come from?"

"Well, a majority of my human clothing was shipped to me via mail from many acquaintances."

"I _meant,"_ she says impatiently, "that you weren't holding those when you first came out of the water."

"Hmm. Well, they followed me a little too slowly, I suppose," he airily replies, as if what he has said is perfectly normal. Her jaw slackens as she tries to comprehend what he has said.

"Follow?" she asks for clarification. He nods, tugging on his shirt to crease out any wrinkles.

"Through the water..."

"Would you mind clarifying for the human girl who's kind of new to this and thinking she's a little bat crazy right now?" she snaps. He smirks at her defiant stance – arms crossed defensively and eyes narrowed in expectancy. He picks up the discarded clothes he had previously worn and carelessly throws them into the lake, cleaning up after himself. He can always grab them later and put them away properly.

"I controlled the water so that they flowed behind me," he explains in a matter-of-fact tone, which drives her crazy.

"You can do that?" she asks with impatience. "What else can you do?"

"Oh, lots of things," he replies flippantly. He looks over at her, gesturing down the edge of the lake. "Shall we go for our walk?" She narrows her eyes, but nods.

The two slowly begin to stroll along the outer rim of the lake, him with his arms folded across his chest, and her with her hands locked together behind her head – classic poses to match their personalities.

"You've been holding out on me," she accuses him, still a little upset that there are things she does not know about him, even after she had questioned him. She places her hands on her hips and glares over at him.

"It's not that I'm holding information from you," he negates, shaking his head at her accusation. "My powers are extremely flexible, you see. Yes, I am able to control the water, but what I accomplish with the water depends on my own creativity."

"I still don't get it," she complains, then adds defensively, _"_You're the first water dragon I've ever met, you know."

He puckers his eyebrows, thinking carefully for a way to explain his meaning. As he does so, he suddenly spies a pile of pebbles gathered by the edge of the water, farther along the path.

"A demonstration, then," he decides, and rushes over. She follows him curiously. He scoops up a few into his hand, clutching only one in the other. Pulling his arm back, he turns to her, meeting her peculiar gaze. "Watch closely."

She rolls her eyes. "Skipping rocks. Even _I_ can do that." She huffs irritably.

He smirks, and only gestures that she keep her eyes on the rock. Pulling his throwing arm even farther back, he finally lets it fly. They both watch extremely closely as it soars through the air, heading straight for the middle pond – hardly a shot capable of allowing the pebble to skip. Toushiro screws up his face in concentration and, at the very last second, just as the rubble is about to splash its way through the barrier that is the top of the lake, a small stream of the water suddenly jumps up, squirting the rock with enough force to send it flying back.

"_Whoa!" _Karin cries out as the rock comes flying out to her. She holds out her hands, trying to grab it. It lands in one and almost hops out, so she lurches forward, trying to get a grip on it. Toushiro watches in amusement as she juggles it furiously, her face twisted in shock.

She sighs in relief as she finally manages a respectable grip on it, and then rounds on him.

"How did you do that?" she demands.

"This is what I meant," he explains. "The water bends at my will no matter what, but I chose to hit the rock with just enough strength to send it back to us." She bobs her head, indicating she understands. He smirks at her enthusiasm. "In a similar way, I bent the water around my clothing, creating a bubble to keep them dry, and then controlling the waves to force the water to carry them along behind me."

"But you're in human form, though." Her lips set in a thin line as she tries to comprehend how he had done such a feat in this form.

"Ah, well, I still have _some_ semblance of control over my element in this form," he clears for her. "It is considerably _less_ when I am in this form, obviously, as retaining this figure requires too much of my power and concentration. The entirety of my control depends on the water's reaction to my flaring of energy."

She puts her hand to her chin in a thinking pose, nodding furiously. "I get it." She beams at him then, flashing her teeth with the wide grin. "That's neat! Can you do any other cool tricks?"

He shrugs. "I suppose, though I hardly do, seeing as I have lived alone for so long."

"Can you...?" Her voice suddenly lowers into a hush as a thought hits her. "Can you do that clothes trick with a human?" Her eyes widen with excitement at the idea.

"I don't see why not," he replies carefully, and she whoops in glee, doing a strange jump in the air with her hands thrown up. "Though I have never tried. But if you are set on seeing my home some day, I think that is the only way to do so."

"Oh, cool!" she cries out, clapping her hands against her cheeks as she grins. "So you'll use your dragon voodoo on me." Her voice gets a little higher pitched, and on any other woman, he would have called it a squeal.

Finally satisfied with the turn of events, she grabs a few rocks from his hands and bounces over to the water. Throwing her hand back, she lets it go, where it skips one, two, three times before disappearing under the water with a _plop!_

"How good are you with the human handicap?" she wants to know. He smirks, following her.

"Good enough," he answers cockily, and she punches his arm.

"I know a challenge when I hear one." With a teasing grin, she scoops up her own pile of pebbles, and the two stand side by side, arms poised ready. "Go!"

Soon, the air is thick with flying rocks, both flinging as quickly as they can. Karin shrieks when one particularly large one falls from her hand, creating a large splash and spraying her legs. She soon erupts into laughter, shaking herself to dry off a bit. His eyes soften at her merry expression.

"Hey, how about we go find some shade?" she suggests. Panting a bit for emphasis, she grabs the front of her shirt and tugs on it, trying to air herself off.

"It_ is_ rather hot," he agrees. Under the shade of a particularly large tree with thick leaves covering the branches, he takes a good look at her haggard appearance.

A contrast from the clean woman she had been this morning, water has done much harm to her appearance now. Her legs and feet, he observes, are tainted with splotches of mud, something to be expected at a place where dirt and water meet. But, from his sudden appearance at the lake, her clothes are still moist, her shorts clinging to her and her arms shining from the drops. He grins appreciatively as he takes in the sight of her – such a tomboy.

"What will your family say when they see you?" he asks, concerned. Her laughter dies down, and she stares over at him in shock. "What is it?"

"Uh, nothing," she replies, uneasily. She hooks one of her fingers and pull back a strand of hair that had been sticking to he mouth. She shrugs casually, ducking her head and placing it on her knees, which she pulls up to her chest. "They'll probably blow their tops a bit, but it's nothing I can't handle. I come home dirty a lot, anyway."

He gets the feeling she is hiding something from him, but after one peek at her uncomfortable face, he lets the matter drop.

"Hey, Toushiro, do you have any family?" she asks in return, wrapping her arms around her knees and inclining her head in his direction. "I mean, how do dragons even...?" She trails off, turning her head away, but he notices the embarrassed flush on her cheeks. "I...sorry. I didn't mean to ask. Yuzu always says I never think before I speak."

He raises his eyebrows over at her, slightly amused by her sudden and uncharacteristic shyness. Certainly, the idea of a man and woman, both unattached and alone together, discussing reproduction would be seen as heinous behavior, but he sees no wrong in it. Dragon cultures far exceed human beliefs in the formalities between the opposite sexes, and so he chuckles a little to ease the tension, ignoring her when she whips her head at him and glares fiercely.

"Yes, I do have a family," he informs her. "A dragon..._mates_ much the same way as a human does." She coughs awkwardly and looks away once again as he breeches the topic. He wonders whether she has ever discussed such a thing with anyone else before – now _he _feels embarrassed. "Um, thanks to our human forms, birthing rates are actually extremely high. But, our families are different in that they are not..._biologically_ related."

"Really?" she asks, in awe at the strange idea – she could never imagine not being with her own family form the very beginning of her life, no matter how much they infuriate her at times. "Why is that? I mean, where are your mother and father?"

"Only they know," he replies casually. "You see – and this is a rather strange phenomenon among my kind – like does not produce like."

"Wait. So you mean"_ – _she twists her face in concentration and confusion as the meaning hits_ – _"your parents weren't water dragons?"

"Most likely, yes," he admits, enjoying the way she seems taken aback.

"How does _that_ work?" In her curiosity, she unbends her knees, instead folding them and turning to face him. Placing her hands against the ground, she leans towards him. His lips almost quirk up at her strange behavior.

"As I said, a phenomenon," he replies, shrugging. "Following the birth, most infants are attracted towards dragons of their own elements. So, I assume that, since I no longer stay with my parents, they were of a different element, and so we rejected one another."

"Oh." Her face seems blank, as if she has trouble accepting the concept of parents against their own babies. In fact, the face she is making seems slightly disgusted.

"It's not foreign to my species, though it may seem strange to you. An infant cannot be taught to tolerate so easily, but as a dragon grows older, it becomes possible to finally co-exist." He hesitates several times before he finally pats her hand shyly. She bites her lip as she looks up at him, seeming a little lost. He hurriedly pulls his hand away.

"Okay, I'll try to keep an open mind about this," she assures him, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"There's not much more to say," he says, looking up at the sky. His face softens into nostalgia, and she blinks several times as she thinks of something to add. He snaps out of it soon enough, though, looking over at her with his lips pressed thinly. "I migrated towards a small family of water dragons, whom I now call my grandmother and sister, and as I grew older, I made acquaintances with other elementally based dragons."

"And do you get a lot of visitors?" She gets even closer now, sticking her face in his as her eyes sparkle with wonderment, her jaw slack as she awaits his answer. He feels an uncomfortable heat creep up his neck and stealthily leans away to the side.

"Unfortunately, no." Her shoulders deflate at his answer and she leans away, almost pouting. "I like my privacy."

"Oh, great," she mumbles, her lip jutting out. "Of course, with my luck, I get stuck with probably the most anti-social, loner dragon on the planet." He rolls his eyes.

_'How would she know? She's never met any other dragons besides me. I personally think I'm a lot better than Kuchiki, at least.'_

"I'm sure if you stick around long enough, you'll run into a few," he assures her. "My friends have never been ones for honoring my wishes."

The bitterness laced in his voice vanishes as he takes in her excitement.

"Really? _Really?"_ she asks in another almost squeal. He nods. "Well, then you're gonna have to make room for me at your lake, Toush! I'm gonna be hanging around _a lot_." He turns his head away and smirks secretly as she cheers.

_'Well, thank goodness for horrible friends.'_

* * *

**Hopefully this one makes Toushiro's powers a little clearer, as well as clears up some background info for future chapters (wink wink). Sorry this one took so long, everyone. After I got back from vacation, I started working on this chapter, but then **_**full sentences **_**started forming in my mind for the chapter in which they have their first kiss, so I wrote that instead ^^' Well, I'm sure some of you won't mind for **_**that **_**reason. **

**But, you're also going to have to be patient with me. Since they're only getting to know one another right now, I don't have much fun working on this story as I do with my others. Once the conflict starts, I'm sure I'll get inspired more often. So, to help me along, I'm just going to do a little time skip for the next chapter – make them a little closer at the beginning so I can skip the filler chapters and start building on the romance quicker (with longer chapters, hopefully), especially since most of the ideas I have are for when they're already really close. Look forward to it :)**


	8. Taking the Plunge

**As I said, I've done a little skip into the future. There was no point just filling chapters, so I thought I'd finally get to writing the ideas I've had for this story. You'll also notice I stopped using italics for speech. Yeah, I got annoyed by that, and I couldn't help but wonder what compelled me to start using it in the first place. Well, it's fixed now :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

* * *

As the months pass, the two inevitably grow closer.

Though summer arrives and the days get hotter, she still makes her way to his domain every day, an excited sparkle in her eyes. It had bothered him at first when she left with disappointment lingering on her expression, marking another day when she had not met another dragon, but soon, it changes, and she only looks downhearted that she has no more time to spend with him. He tries his best to keep the delighted smirk from breaking across his lips at this observation.

He always waits for her in human form now. Though he knows she is awed by his dragon form, the embarrassment both feel at the routine of changing in her presence is not something both want to go through every day, and so he saves them both. And so she becomes accustomed to his human shape, his dragon body becoming a sort of legendary, awe-inspiring figure in her mind. It makes him feel rather smug. However, there _are_ times when she does beg him to transform for her, wanting to gaze upon such ferocity once again, and he always relents.

"Please?" she asks, jutting out her bottom lip the way her sister does sometimes, though hers is rather pathetic, and she glares when he sends her an incredulous look. "Just show it to me!" she finally orders, huffing.

"All right," he says smugly. "Please, stand back."

Rolling her eyes and grumbling about arrogant dragons with superiority complexes, she steps back and turns around. He strips in record time, used to it now, and his scales erupt, his fangs and claws protruding. She catches the sight of his flying shadow, his body sighing a _whoosh _as he lunges through the air into the water. Whipping around, she catches sight of his snake-like form as it plunges head first into the water, creating an arch until the tail disappears with a flick.

"What's the point if I can't see you?" she complains to the water's edge, crouching by it. A great rumbling sounds through the air, and he shoots out, balancing in the water as he twists his neck down to rest his face right in front of hers. Her eyes widen. "_Wow,_" she gasps.

He inclines his head to the side, obviously asking her what she thinks.

"That first time really didn't do you justice," she tells him in a matter-of-fact tone. "I didn't see you properly. But, I have to admit...you're pretty cool." She allows him a compliment, grinning up at his sleek form.

Getting into the mood with him, she takes off her shoes and dips her legs, sighing a little at the cold temperature. It feels so very pleasant with the heat, and she shrieks delightfully when his scales drip drops of water from his cool plunge.

He never once wanders away from his little home, too awed by the idea of meeting a throng of humans. But she never does suggest it, either, so the two spend their days in isolated bliss, keeping each other their own little secrets. The idea gives him chills, as if it means that they belong together. Of course, he has never been one to believe in something as foolish as soul mates, but he cannot deny that he feels a pull towards her. When she laughs, happiness tugs at his stomach, and when she gets angry, mostly at her family, he feel hot rage course through his veins. The one thing he does not get to see is her tears. At one point, he had wondered whether _Grimmjow _ever saw her cry. The thought had left a very bitter taste in his mouth. But then she had jumped onto his back forcefully, ordering him to find shade for them as she had been too lazy, and all that bitterness had washed away with their sudden proximity.

"All this sun is going to give me heat stroke," she had panted once he had settled them under a tree close to the water's edge, fanning herself with her hand, though to no avail. The humidity had been thick in the air, and the lack of a breeze caused them both to work up a sweat. Usually, the winds caused cool water to splash soft sprinkles of the lake's water over them. "I wish I had some watermelon."

He had blinked rapidly. "What is a melon of water?" he had asked curiously, tilting his head to the side to gaze at her. He couldn't help but think that he should have heard of such a thing, as it was obviously associated with his element. Her mouth falling open, she had lunged at him in shock, placing her hands on his shoulders and jostling him.

"You've never _heard _of a _watermelon?_" she had cried, sounding absolutely disbelieving.

He had shaken his head quickly, a little surprised by such a strong reaction. "I'm not familiar with human customs," he had answered truthfully.

"What, do you live under a rock?" she had asked, astonished.

"Yes," he had snapped defensively. At her taken aback expression, he had explained, "My home under the water is a cave made of sturdy rock."

It had taken her some time to process this, and then she'd been _sick _with laughter, falling onto her back and holding her stomach.

"A cave! Kami, how much more of a 'mythical, dragon beast' can you get? If only you lured unsuspecting heroes into the bowels of your lake, dragging them to your cave to meet their demise."

He hadn't understood.

"Tell you what, Toushiro," she had choked out, patting his shoulder and sighing to quiet her laughter. "How about I bring you one, hm? With all this heat, it'll be good for both of us."

"All right," he had agreed carefully. Though a little wary of something he did not know, he trusted her not to bring him something dangerous.

So, imagine his surprise when she comes _stomping _to his clearing the next day with a _gigantic _green rock weighing down her hands and a large bat tucked under her arms. Once she drops both next to the lake, she wipes her forehead, sighing in relief at the absent weight. He crouches close to the..._thing_, eying it curiously. Hesitantly, he reaches out a steady hand and _pokes _at it several times. It feels cool to the touch.

Karin watches all this with a most amused smirk on her face, an eyebrow raised.

"You done sexually harassing the watermelon?" she teases, causing him to cough awkwardly. "You sure have a fetish for round things, don't you?"

"Well, what is it?" he asks impatiently, trying to change the subject.

"It's a fruit," she explains. He knocks hard on the outer layer with his fist, looking confused. It is unlike any fruit he has ever seen – there seems to be no way to peel it.

"You have to cut it first," she continues, realizing his bewilderment. "You eat what's inside."

"Oh." Nodding his head in understanding, he picks up the bat next. "And this?"

She beams. "_That _is for a little game we humans play." Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out a large handkerchief. "Normally, it's done by seashores, but my village doesn't have one close by, so we just play wherever we want." Gazing out at the lake, she adds, "With the water here, _this _feels more like the shore, anyway, so I think it'll be fine."

He appraises the bat carefully, still not quite understanding its role. "What exactly is this used for?"

"It's more fun if you _do _it!" she exclaims. Excitedly, she unfolds the cloth in her hands, waving it with a few snaps so that it falls open. He waits in fascination as she bounces behind him, feelings chills as her hands brush against his neck, and ears, and forehead – is she moving upwards? Before he can protest, she suddenly ties the cloth around his eyes, knotting it in the back.

"Miss Karin?" he cries, grazing his fingers against the fabric. He sees only black now, and he only knows she has moved to stand before him by the sounds of her heels scuffing the dirt. In an instant, he feels a heavy weight on his shoulders, and realizes she has placed her hands there.

"Okay, Toush," she says happily. "I'm going to spin you, and when I stop, try to find that watermelon and pound it with the bat, okay?"

"W-Wait –"

Without waiting for his answer, she fists his shirt into her palms and forcibly turns him. His legs twist in an awkward way, and he finds his balance solely in her hands as she continues to spin him in circles rapidly, laughing with glee.

"Okay!" she cries, letting go and stepping back. "Have at it!"

Groaning, he stumbles forward with _no clue _what he is doing or where he is going. His body feels strangely heavy from the dizziness, and he keeps leaning forward, as if about to fall over, and lurching back in time. The bat stands poised at the ready in his hands and he clenches it tightly as he awkwardly and clumsily wobbles forward.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he says with a gulp. Karin is too busy cheering him on to hear.

"That's it. _That's it!_" she shrieks. "Go forward. Keep going...keep going – No, no! That's too far. Turn back. Now, right – not _your _right. _My _right!"

"I have no idea where you are or which direction you're facing," he retorts irritably, completely lost. "How do you suppose I would know where _your _right _is_?" Hit with a sudden sense of vertigo, he jerks backwards and trips, _letting _himself fall this time. His bottom collides painfully with the hard ground. Ignoring Karin's protests, he rips off the covering over his eyes and takes in his surroundings quickly; the watermelon is still lying eight feet away.

"This game is ridiculous," he snaps, huffing as he lets both the bandana and the bat drop to the ground beside him. "Why do humans play such useless games?"

Karin rolls her eyes. "Sore loser much?" she deadpans. Striding towards him, she swoops down and grabs the discarded items. "Let me show you how a _master _does it," she declares smugly. Ignoring his scoff, she ties the bandana over her eyes and picks up the bat. It is the second time she is using that word, and he cannot help but remember his humiliation with the football.

"Okay. Spin me!" she commands, grinning with anticipation. With a scowl, he complies, gently giving her three spins before stomping over to a tree to sulk.

She takes a deep breath and steers herself with determination. He watches enviously as she, _very _smoothly, steps across the land, on a path straight to the cursed watermelon. There are no hesitations to her steps and she never once falters. With a large grin, she heads for an easy victory. He pouts.

But then, his eyes catch just the slightest of change. Perhaps it is because of the temporary blindness caused by the bandana, but Karin does not realize it when her feet shift just a small angle to the left. It changes the course completely, and soon, she is angling away from the fruit without the slightest clue. Though it shouldn't have been a cause for concern, he suddenly realizes the startling outcome – she is heading straight for the lake.

"Um, Miss Karin," he calls out quickly.

"I don't need any help!" she cuts across him. By now, her back is facing him, but he can see her wave an impatient hand, signaling him to keep quiet.

"But, _Miss Karin_," he persists urgently, his arms unfolding just slightly in concern.

"I'm not as clumsy as _you, _okay, Toush?" she interrupts him again. "I can actually do this."

Glaring at her back, he leans against the tree and folds his arms once again. Fine. If she doesn't want his help, he will not give it. Let _the master _figure it out for herself.

After just a few more steps, she calls out, "Hey, how far _is _the – _ah!_" Her foot slips viciously against the edge of the ground, and with an ear-splitting shriek, she topples backwards and skids into the lake.

"What the hell!" she cries out as her body dunks under. Letting go of the bat, she instead yanks away the bandana. Her eyes widen, almost popping out of her head as she takes in the water around her, and spits some out of her mouth. And then she looks at him, her eyes gaping and fearful, her hair tangled and dripping, and her clothes wet and clingy. He claps a hand against his mouth ("Do _not _laugh, _damn it! _She'll _kill _you."), and tries his _hardest _to stop the snickers. That only makes it worse. With his shoulders shaking, he throws back his head and lets out a bark of laughter.

"Miss Karin, y-you," he sputters, still trying to cover his mouth, so as not to make her feel bad. It is an unnecessary action, however, because she takes one look at his shaking form, and a grin splits out across her face, too, catching his laughter easily. He has respect for people who can laugh at themselves, because he never could.

"You ass!" she reprimands him playfully through her chortles, splashing her arms in the water as protest. "Why didn't you _tell _me?"

"I attempted to," he defends himself.

"Well, try _harder _next time, dummy," she orders him.

"Oh? Are you planning another fall again soon?" he teases her, amused.

She sticks her tongue out at him. "Oh, you know what I meant." Letting the argument finally drop, she leans back and lets herself just drift in the lake, sighing. "_Damn,_ this feels good,"she breathes out in satisfaction. "With all this heat, how have we _not _tried this before?"

Her face lights up and she pulls herself out of the water. Grabbing the hem of her sopping wet shirt, she wrings it out with her hands, letting all the water run to the ground. And then, to his complete astonishment, she _pulls it off._

"Wh-what are you doing?" he demands, shielding his eyes and looking away in mortification. He had seen it – her _skin._

She rolls her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm not getting _naked, _or anything. I can't go home all wet, though, so I'll have to hang this up and let it dry. Until then, let's swim!" She strips her shorts as well, perfectly comfortable with him as she knows he wouldn't peep, and throws both over a low tree branch. This leaves her standing in only her chest bindings and white bloomers, though she pays it no mind as she dashes back to the water and hops in. A shriek of delight escapes her lips as she makes a large _splash_ and the coolness hits her skin.

"Come on in, Toushiro!" she encourages, waving an arm over her head to beckon him. "The water's great."

He gulps, feeling the lake call him as she does. The splashing sounds she is making excite his inner dragon, and the overbearing heat of the sun makes him feel sweaty and grimy – all the more reason to heed her call. He lets his self-control crumble and drifts over to the inviting lake. She grins and waves him over. With a soft smirk, he plunges in, not even bothering to take off his clothes, and the two lounge around.

Ahh...it feels _heavenly, _as if the sun overhead doesn't even exist anymore. The water pulses around him, soothing his skin and cleaning off the sweat, and he sighs, letting his head duck under the water. All sound cuts off as the waves surround him, and he easily opens his eyes, feeling no sting the way the rushing water would have stopped a mere human. Through all the clear blue and mysterious black, his gazes latches onto one thing – Karin's legs, kicking against the water as she floats.

Unlike any reaction he would have had on land, he feels absolutely _no _shame or embarrassment as he eyes them. In his element, he can be himself, and "himself" wants to reach out, to touch, to feel. He lets out a predatory growl at the back of his throat as she swims closer, twisting her hips in synchronization. Damn.

Before he does anything outrageous he knows he will regret, he forces himself to pull his head from under the surface. Instantly, his mind clears, albeit just a little bit. Karin, unaware, only bobs over to him excitedly.

"Let's race, Toushiro," she suggests. He smirks.

"Against a water dragon? Are you positive you want to do this?" he goads her.

"I'll have you know, I 'm an _excellent _swimmer, Mr. Klutz," she counters. "Let's do this."

"All right." He shrugs nonchalantly, and she grits her teeth at his bored attitude. She would give him a challenge!

"First one to touch the rock," she declares, pointing to the large piece of jagged earth protruding from under the water at the middle of the lake. Unbeknownst to her, it is actually a _lot _larger than it looks, getting bigger and bigger the deeper one goes into the lake, until finally it opens up to create an opening for the cave Toushiro himself lives in. But, he just shrugs again, deciding not to tell her that swimming to that rock is something he does every day, thereby giving her a disadvantage. This is _payback _for the soccer fiasco.

The two line up at the edge of the lake but facing out towards the water, keeping their hands placed against the ground parallel to it.

"Ready," Karin calls, a determined look planted across her face. He eyes her, amused. "Get set...Go!"

The two shoot off to their goal.

Two beats, and suddenly he is already leaning perfectly at ease against the large rock in that one instant, a casual smirk covering his lips as he eyes her struggle against the water. Even with clothes plastered onto his body, there is no way the water will ever work against him. He would have thought Karin would have realized that, but, no. The girl herself is still paddling furiously, refusing to give up halfway, even if he has won already.

He finds it decidedly cute as, with her face screwed in determination, she twists and kicks her body in trying to propel forward. She really is a wonderful swimmer, he notes. Despite the furious energy she is throwing into the action, her arms and legs are graceful, and should she have surrendered her pride long enough to just _stop _and take a breath for a moment, she most likely would have already made it. But, she continues on, refusing to take a break, and he watches her happily.

"Cheater," she hisses through her pants once she finally reaches her goal, leaning a palm against the rock for support.

"How so?" he asks.

"You're a water dragon!" she argues hotly.

"_I _cannot help it if the water decides to aid me. Plus, was this not _your _idea?"

"Ugh! There's no use arguing with you." Throwing her arms up in exasperation, she spins in the water and dives in, swimming away from him. She heads back to the land. Looks like he is not the only "sore loser."

A wicked idea forms in his mind just then, as he watches her get farther away. Pushing himself to float upright, he closes his eyes in concentration. The water surrounding him splashes against his submerged hips and legs happily, enjoying the elemental energy he is gathering into his body. The clothing covering his body starts to get tighterand _tighter_, and soon, it gives a might _rip _as it is blown clean away from his body. He pays it no mind as he feels his torso spread out, becoming something slippery and long. By now the entire lake is simply going _crazy _with excitement, bounding into him enthusiastically. With a soft _purr, _he shakes his serpent body from head to toe, whipping his tail against the water. His ears twitch.

Karin feels the change. With a confused look, she turns to discover just what is happening behind her that is making the water behave so violently, and during that one distraction, she misses it when his tail shoots out and coils itself around her ankle. He pulls.

"_Wah!" _She shrieks as she is forcibly pulled under the water, shutting her mouth and holding her breath at the last second. "Toushiro..." she chokes out angrily.

With a chuckle that sounds like a growl, he plunges in after her, tightening his hold on her foot. Keeping her firmly below the surface, he spirals through the liquid, swimming circles around her body smoothly. She eyes him in shock, following his movements the best that she can. With a final glare, she tries to swim back to the surface, towards land. Feeling particularly cunning, he gathers his energy, and the water responds to his requests. The small bubble of water around her starts flowing the other way, opposing her swim, and she is comically suspended in the water, paddling her limbs to no effect. Finally, she just gives up, crossing her arms and shooting him a dangerous glower. With an irritated twitch in her eye, she simply points to her mouth.

'_I need to breathe.'_

Feeling a little sheepish, he finally lets her go, watching her shoot towards the dry land. He knows he will have Hell to pay when he gets up there. The water had made him particularly whimsical, and in the end he had given into his temptations for just a _little bit _of childishness. Oh, well. It has always had that effect on him.

Before following Karin, he commands the water to get him another pair of clothes. Almost immediately, he feels a wave shoot past him, towards his cave, and he watches with satisfaction as a protective bubble drifts out, a fresh pair of clothes dry inside. So, with a reassuring breath, he snakes up to the surface.

"What the hell was that?" Karin demands the moment he breaks over the top. She glares up at him with her hands on her hips and an irritated scowl on her lips, looking oh so tempting with all that water clinging to her _everywhere. _Without waiting for a reply, she spins around. "Change now, Toushiro! I want an explanation."

With a roll of his eyes, he does as she had asked, slipping on his clothes quickly. She is still in her underthings, too wet now for putting on her earlier clothes.

"You've been itching to see my powers from day one," he retorts. "This was me, complying to your wish."

"Warn a girl next time, why don't you?" she snaps. Still looking aggravated, she swoops down and picks up the bat next to her feet, and then stomps over to him. His eyes widen and he steps out of her path when she approaches, but she just stalks past him.

Raising the bat high above her head, she whips it down, where it connects with their watermelon with a satisfying _thunk. _To be honest, he had forgotten it was still even there. A split runs down the middle, and she attacks it again. This time, it successfully splits into two. She gingerly breaks off two pieces, and when she turns to offer him one, a grin has broken out across her face.

"Here! " she says cheerfully offering him one. Geez, talk about mood swings.

He accepts it graciously, eying her, waiting to see her eat hers first. Well, she viciously _attacks _the thing, breaking off as large a chunk as she can and chomping on it. Looking down at his own, he sniffs it. It smells sweet. With a wary eye, he nibbles into it carefully.

"...It's good," he observes, looking down at it in surprise. In fact, it is _really _good. He finishes the rest in just the next bite, looking a little upset that he has no more.

"Told you!" she answers, beaming. "Another one?"

He snatches the next slice from her hand, eating it almost greedily. And so they seat themselves in the shade of their tree, happily eating watermelon for the rest of the afternoon. By the time it is finally finished, he has eaten _more _than his fair share, and he still wants more. He sulks as she pulls on her, now dry, clothes.

"Well, I should get going," she sighs, stretching widely and humming in delight. He grabs the back of her shirt.

"Another watermelon tomorrow?" he asks her, looking hopeful.

She snickers. "Sure thing, Toush," she replies, ruffling his hair.

She leaves him with a relieved smirk on his face, looking forward to his treat. So, when she comes empty-handed the next day, he can only gape.

"_Payback _for that stunt you pulled in the water yesterday," she sneers, snickering at his crestfallen expression.

Well, now he just _has _to get even.

* * *

**With him being a water dragon, there was _no way _I was leaving out the underwater scene :) Also, special thanks to NanaGoesBlehh; it was her suggestion to introduce Toushiro to watermelon, and I _loved it._**

**Now, I _hate _following up chapters with shorter ones (it shows I'm perfectly _capable _of writing longer ones, but just got lazy), so expect them to get progressively longer.**


	9. Guilty Conscience

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

* * *

"And one, two, three. One, two, three. Feather light steps, ladies and gentlemen; nobody wants to dance with an elephant. And don't break the rhythm. One, two – No, no, no! _Karin-chan, _please refrain from stomping on Jinta-kun's foot."

"The bastard was trying to grope me!"

"Don't flatter yourself, Kurosaki. You're just pissed that my team beat yours in soccer."

"You didn't win – you cheated!"

"How the hell did we cheat! The score was five to four. Get over it – ow!"

She smirks, satisfaction in her eyes as her dance partner pulls his hands away and grabs his foot instead, hopping on the spot she had stomped on as his face twists in pain and turns red.

"Karin-chan! When you are in my classroom, you are expected to act like a lady, and ladies do not attempt to cause bodily harm to gentlemen. Now, please apologize to Jinta-kun so we may continue our lesson."

"But, Nanao-sensei!"

Her teacher eyes her crisply, her arms crossed expectantly. There is a glare shining off of her glasses, making her appear scarier. But the most frightening moment is when Karin catches sight of her hand twitch and move upwards towards her face, obviously in an attempt to remove the corrective lenses placed upon her nose.

"I'm very sorry, Jinta!"she says hastily and out of breath. Nanao smiles in approval before turning away, and she takes this chance to saunter over to the smug redhead and whisper dangerously in his ear, "This isn't over."

With her own smug smirk at the fearful expression on his face, she nudges him away with her hip and follows Nanao-sensei to the center of the classroom.

"I think it would be best for the class if Karin-chan and Jinta-kun take a break from one another. Hanatarou, will you please switch partners with Jinta-kun?"

The trembling boy gulps several times, obviously displeased with the idea. But he is too cowardly to refuse with both Nanao-sensei and Karin appraising him impatiently, and so he surrenders his own shy and silent dance partner and slides over to the hotheaded girl, his eyes wide with fright. She grimaces at him, having known for a very long time that the small boy is frightened by her hostile personality and short temper.

But there's one person she can always count on to be accepting of her nature. In fact, she gets the feeling he looks forward to her visits even more than she does, though he's always as icy as possible and _so _damn _formal._

Her new friend is fascinating to her; they spend their time with her asking questions and him answering to the best of his abilities. Sometimes he seems uncomfortable, and she pushes as far as she thinks she can before deciding to drop the matter he obviously does not want to discuss, even though it irks her to _know _he is keeping secrets yet have no choice but to ignore it. They make time for a game of soccer sometimes, however. He is getting better, having finally scored one goal against her a _long _time ago.

"Looks like you're finally a man now, Toush," she had said, chuckling at the glee on his face as he had stared at the ball, and then his feet, and then the ball once again, in awe.

But he is nowhere near winning. She takes too much pride in the effort she has put into excelling at the sport and convincing the other boys of her village she is worthy of their time to ever _let _him win. No matter how adorable it is when he seems smug about a goal that only scored because he kicked it in a totally random direction accidentally, causing it to bounce off of a tree and into the goal she is protecting.

"One of these days," she had told him, "I'll take you to one of my soccer games in the village. It'll be fun; the boys love having someone new to play with."

"And just how are you going to explain a random stranger no one has ever seen before showing up in your village?"

"Oh, I'll think of something. I can be creative when I have to be."

"Somehow, I doubt that is going to end well for me."

She had only punched his arm playfully, sticking her tongue out at his smirk.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen," Nanao-sensei suddenly pulls her out of her thoughts by clapping her hands for attention. "Today's class is over. You all did...splendidly." They can see her fumble over the compliment because they know they had been anything _but_. With a weary sigh, she continues, "We've all improved greatly from the beginning of the year. If we keep heading down this road, we'll be in perfect shape for the festival."

Everyone breaks off into excited whispers at the reminder, squealing or laughing at their chance to shine, except for Karin, who scowls angrily. She had almost forgotten the reason for all of this extra practice and trouble.

"Okay, settle down," their teacher says, though she is smiling at their excitement. "Next week we will be doing our costume fittings and holding our rehearsals. Until then, remember that you need to find a partner and practice! So, I'll see you all here tomorrow morning, bright and early. Good-bye."

The schoolhouse's door bursts open and all the children rush out at once. In their glee at finally being free for the day, the boys even forget that they are expected to politely hold the doors open for the ladies and let them go first. Instead, they push their way out ahead of them, and Karin hears their teacher sigh in exasperation from behind as she strides out lazily at the end.

"Hey, Kurosaki," Jinta calls over with a sneer on his face. She tries to ignore him, tucking her hands in her pocket, but he catches up with a slow jog. "Where're you gonna find a date?" he taunts. "I mean, who'd wanna go out with _you_?"

She picks up her pace, trying to lose him, but he keeps up, so finally, she swings around and sends him a sharp glare.

"Watch it, Jinta," she growls. "You know my sister would never date anyone _I _didn't approve of, and if you keep pissing me off, it won't be that hard to give you a less than perfect evaluation." No need to mention that she and her family have had a rather touchy relationship for the past few days. At least he gulps and backs off.

"And who I bring as a date is _none _of your business," she goes on, swerving back around to continue on her path.

He blinks, intercepting her path. "You mean you already have one?" he asks, disbelieving, and she glowers at him again.

"Like I said: _None _of your business." Shoving him aside with her shoulder, she strides away.

**.. ღ ..**

"I'm here, Toush," she calls out to the clearing as she bounds into it that same afternoon. Looking left and right eagerly, she spots him relaxing by the lake and rushes over, beaming.

"Good afternoon, Miss Karin," he retorts politely, as always. "I trust your day went well?"

"Fine," she answers back softly, so he knows it hadn't. Rather than ask her, though, he simply gazes out at the river, letting the sound of the small ripples wash over them as she stands behind him. Finally, she calms down. "Hey, Toushiro?" she speaks up in a small voice.

"Hmm?"

"Do dragons have to put up with this etiquette crap?"

He can hear the bitterness laced in her tone and chuckles. "Of course. In fact, you think _you _have it bad, but dragons hold such high values in manners that there are rules and regulations for _everything. _Everyone is expected to learn them." He pauses for a moment, in thought, before smirking. "Though I suppose many of the female dragons are significantly more..._enthusiastic _than you are."

"That sucks," she says in disgust. "All the rules, I mean."

"They are even worse if you're a noble," he tells her pointedly.

"You have nobles?" she asks incredulously, blinking down at him.

"_Yes. _Even dragons have a hierarchy. There are four noble families – one for each element. The Kuchiki family is the most well-known among our kind, but most likely because they are so involved in the councils. The other noble families prefer to keep to themselves."

"That's kind of like our village," she observes. "Though we don't have noble families. We just have the wealthiest families that live in the city."

"The city?" he asks curiously.

She grins widely. "Yeah, the city! I went there once. It took a whole day of travel, but it was awesome. The city is _huge!_" To emphasize her point, she pulls her hands out of her pockets and throws them in the air. "There are all these shops and big buildings. And the people are so strange. Actually," she says proudly, "I got my soccer ball from the city. It cost me a month's allowance since everything there is so expensive, but all the boys in my village were so jealous."

"It sounds wonderful," he breathes out, mystified by the idea of such a big place. He's only ever been in his childhood home and his current one. Of course, the central city, where all the council members live, is known to be enormous, but he's never been there. He and Momo had only ever gazed at it in awe when younger, since they'd had a view of it from their dwelling.

She nods eagerly. "It _is. _I hope I can take you sometime. They have all these cool sword displays from legendary heroes. _And _there's a watermelon farm there. I'll invite you if I ever get to go again."

"That sounds lovely," he replies in a soft voice, and his lips twitch up at idea. Perhaps he would even get to see this _bazaar _Matsumoto is always raving about. She lives in one of these _cities, _after all, and he's sure that's why she has such eccentric and expensive tendencies.

She lapses off into silence, lost in her exciting memories, and he kicks the water a few times, enjoying the coolness. Finally, deciding they've stalled enough, he decides to pursue the topic of her problem.

Twisting his neck to look back at her, he casually asks, "How were your classes?"

With a sniff, she replies carefully, "Fine."

He sends her a stern look. "Miss Karin."

She makes a face. "Worse than usual," she complains. "Of course Jinta was being an ass since we got partnered up." He'd learned of her rivalry with a boy from her village during one of their soccer games, when she'd explained that all the practicing was to beat his team. "And I messed up _twice_," she piles on. "And my feet hurt. And I don't want to do this anymore!"

He smirks at her rant, having heard it many times before. He'd been fascinated by the first time, but now he's well aware of all the issues she has with femininity.

"Well, did you practice like you were assigned to?" he asks her sternly.

She rolls her eyes. "Who are you, my teacher?" she drawls. When he only raises an eyebrow, she glares at him, red in the face and flustered. "Okay, I _didn't_, all right? I had too many other things to do. _Kami_, get off my back."

He smirks, having expected the answer. "If you don't practice, of course it'll seem worse," he tells her pointedly.

She smacks his head from behind. "Well, that _isn't _why today was worse than usual, for your information," she defends herself. "Actually, we've been having too many extra practices and lessons. The Starlight Festival is coming up soon, so of course Nanao-sensei is breathing down our necks even more than usual."

"Festival?" he asks in wonder, his forehead wrinkling as he tries to remember whether he has ever heard of such an event happening at this time of year. Of course, since he's never interacted with humans before, he only draws a blank.

"Yeah, festival," she replies casually, finally settling down beside him and crossing her legs. "What? Dragons don't have festivals?"

He shakes his head. "Oh, no. We do. I just simply wondered what human ones are like."

"Boring as Hell and stuffy as a turkey," is her irritated review. "Every year, the girls have to dress up in frilly dresses and the men in formal wear. You know, collared shirts and ascots and clean hair. It's mandatory since it's tradition."

He listens in fascination. "Dragon festivals are quite different, then," he tells her. "It is the one annual event that is _not _formal. My sister always enjoyed it, for she could finally wear her new clothes of her choosing rather than a required uniform."

"_Lucky_," she breathes, clicking her tongue. "Wish we got to pick." Suddenly, her nose scrunches up. "And it's even worse if you're taking my classes. It's _another _tradition that the students have to give a dance at the town square at midnight, just because some dumb ass legend says so."

"...Legend?" he asks, inclining his head in curiosity.

There's a pregnant pause before her face turns beet red, and she huffs in embarrassment and swats his arm, refusing to look at him.

"Anyway," she goes on in a higher pitched voice, "tell me about _your _festivals. They've _got _to be helluva lot more interesting."

He disagrees, but launches into an explanation anyway, because it's what she wants to know. He simply files away her reaction for a later time, when it's safe to ask again, and launches into tales of assorted stalls and gourmet food and rambunctious laughter and happy memories. She listens intently to everything, looking excited by everything. He can never quite get over the look of wonder that passes over her eyes as she learns something new about him and his kind. Usually she looks impressed, which is always a great stroke to his ego, even if she probably wouldn't allow it if she realized what it did to him.

"That sounds cool," she breathes, cutting off his description of booming fireworks. "I mean, we have booths and stuff too, but it's not like we have any fun dragon powers to make them more interesting. It's mostly just food."

"That sounds interesting to _me_," he replies shrugging. "I have never tasted much human food before."

There's silence as she narrows her eyes at him in bemusement, gazing at him critically as if trying to figure out whether he means it. And then...

"...You wanna go?" she offers, raising her eyebrows.

He gapes at her. "What? You mean, to your village? To your _festival_?"

She shrugs. "Sure. We have lots of people from other towns come too, you know." Under her breath, she grumbles, "Probably because of that stupid legend." Shrugging again, she assures him, "We could probably sneak you in and no one would realize that you're not, you know..._human._"

"I don't know..." It could be risky, and he could get discovered. That's partly the reason he tries to stay away from humans. A large gathering might not be a smart idea, especially with his foreign quirks that Karin is always laughing about. When he bites his bottom lip, unsure of her idea, she suddenly ghosts her hand over his. His breath catches in his throat as he gazes down at it before flickering her eyes up to her. She smiles encouragingly.

"What do you say, Toushiro?" she asks in a low voice. "Will you be my date for the festival?"

A _date_? As in an intimate partner to spend all of her time with? He's never been anyone's _date _before.

"I...of course," he finally murmurs back, turning red in mortification.

She smirks mischievously. "Great!" she exclaims, slapping his thigh. "Then that means you'll have to be my partner for the Starlight Dance at midnight! We'd better get practicing soon. I mean, you're so _clumsy_, and we'll have to work on that. Plus, you need to learn all the steps -"

"Wait. _W-What?_" he splutters, confused.

She gazes up at him innocently, though on her face, it doesn't look very innocent. "Well, everyone doing the dance has to have a date to be their partner," she explains in a matter-of-fact tone. "But all the boys in my village are either too stupid or too scared of me. So you'll be _perfect_...You know, since you're the only one left I can ask. Besides, it would show that stupid Jinta that I _can _get a date," she grumbles. He, however, ignores that and instead jumps on the problem.

"Are you _insane_?" he hisses, ripping his hand away, no matter how much he misses her touch. "I can barely _walk_ two feet without tripping. What makes you think I can dance? Which, by the way, I know nothing about, seeing as how dragon dances are completely different from human ones."

"Oh, how would _you_ know that?" she challenges with a snort.

He glares at her, sarcastically saying through his gritted teeth, "Well, unless you humans pair up with the dragons of your own element and showcase your water powers by slithering through it while making it fly through the air in an intricate pattern, I'm fairly certain our dances are polar opposites."

"_You_ do that?" she exclaims in awe, beaming at him. "_Amazing_! You _have_ to show me sometime."

"Stop trying to change the subject," he snaps at her, and she huffs at being discovered so easily.

"You worry too much," she grumbles. "I'll teach you the dance, okay? And if _I _can learn it, you can bet your sweet tail that _you_ can. It just takes practice."

"I know you're just saying that to change my mind," he retorts, rolling his eyes. "How many times have you complained about the same dance now?"

She laughs sheepishly. "Well, you seem like a fast learner," she attempts lamely. When he doesn't seem any more convinced, she jostles his shoulders. "Oh, come _on_, Toush. You're my only hope! Everyone else has probably already partnered up. Even Jinta is taking my sister. I don't even _want_ to go, but I can just imagine his stupid mocking next week if I have to tell sensei I have to sit out because no one will go with me. That is _not _acceptable!"

He shakes his head adamantly, blocking out her desperate rant. He will _not_ make a fool of himself. It's not as if he needs to give Karin any more material to tease him with. When he crosses his arms as a final say, firmly keeping his gaze from her face because he knows it will change his mind, she changes her tactics and gives a deep sigh.

"Fine," she relents, dropping her hands and looking down sadly. "If you really don't want to, then I won't force you."

He slowly and mistrustfully cracks open one eye, trying to figure out her game. What is she playing at now? However, his breath catches when he notices the hurt expression on her face. His arms unfold halfway.

"I guess I'll go by myself," she continues sorrowfully, her shoulders drooping. "It's not your job to take me, after all. I was just looking forward to our date. I guess I'll have to find someone else to spend the night with."

Something claws at his chest just then. A rare but familiar sensation of jealousy. And does she _have_ to say it like that? It only makes it sound that much worse. He'd forgotten in the argument that dancing also meant being her escort for the evening, and that had been what he'd wanted. He would get to make memories with her and learn new things about her culture, keeping her to himself the entire time. Of course, he does that every afternoon, but it would be different since they would technically be spending time as a..._couple_. A pleased shiver runs up his spine at the word.

"But I shouldn't expect too much," she cruelly goes on, and he finds himself softening against his wishes. "I'd known all this time that I would probably have to go alone anyway. I mean, for all these years, I always went with _Grimmjow_."

A low growl rumbles from the back of his throat at the name. So that bastard had been her date all these years, had he? He'd probably laid his filthy hands on her hips, pulling her close. It makes him _sick_ to think of such a thing. And now, she would only be reminded of what she had lost at the dance.

"He always went for me, even though he hates dancing," she tells him, giving a weak, pathetic chuckle. "I thought this year would be even better, since we would be married, but then _that _happened."

_That_. When she'd been viciously attacked by the same man she had trusted, who had only laughed at her fear. When he'd had to save her. When he had destroyed all of her hope and dreams of the two getting together. It had been his fault. Looking into her downcast eyes, he can't help but think it to be the truth.

"Miss Karin..." he says sadly, hesitating putting a hand on her shoulder. He's never been good at comforting others, and he's sure he would only make it worse.

"He's been the only guy to ever want to go with me," she goes on, sighing.

His grits his teeth. That isn't true! He's liked her way before this _Grimmjow__ –_ at least he _thinks_ so. He's certainly been infatuated with her since the moment she stepped foot into his clearing. But, of course, he can't _tell _her that, so he bites his tongue to keep from blurting it out.

"I guess I'll just tell Nanao-sensei that I have to sit out, and when Jinta starts laughing, I'll just -"

"...I'll go," he murmurs, cutting across her and looking down in embarrassment. She fumbles over her words and looks down at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

He clears his throat, and then repeats more loudly, "I said I'll go, so you can tell your sensei that you have a...date to dance with."

"Really?" she gasps, brightening up.

He nods curtly. "Of course, you'll have to teach me," he tells her. "I don't know much about human dances, and I'll have to get used to my feet."

"That's great!" she cries out, whooping and throwing an arm over his shoulder in her joy. "Not your clumsy feet part, but the going with me part. We'll be such wonderful dancers that Jinta will be eating his words!"

He rolls his eyes. "Is _everything _a competition with you?" he asks tartly, though he really can't be irritated with her arm around him. Though he can't help but think that she'd forgotten about her sadness over Grimmjow a little _too _quickly...

"A little competition is healthy," she retorts defensively, slapping his shoulder. "And I don't accept failure!" Suddenly, she's deadly serious. "That means you'll be giving everything you have to practice, practice, practice. I'll come over every afternoon, right after classes. Of course, it'll be too weird if you're still so clumsy, so you'll have to practice all week to walk properly. And _I'll _have to deem you presentable before you go into the village, of course. So every day, all day, you better be walking. I'll bring you the steps to the dances we learn, and when you're not walking, you'll be dancing with me. You'll also have to wear a costume. It might be suffocating, but you'll have to put up with it..."

As he listens to her pile on more and more work, he can't shake the feeling that he's been taken advantage of.

* * *

**Phew. Finally done! How long has it been? (Too long...)**

**So, next chapter, we get to enjoy some clumsy and embarrassed dancing :)**


	10. Dancing Under the Influence

**When I woke up this morning, I made a goal for myself that I would finally finish this chapter today. And I'm so proud of myself for accomplishing it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.**

* * *

"All right, let's see it!"

"W-What? Here, _now_?"

"No, in Hokkaido, three days from now. _Yes_, here and now!"

With that demanding glare on her face and her hands on her hips, he can't refuse the request. So, trying to hold back his embarrassment, he unsteadily rises to his feet. They're already off to a bad start when he has to try _twice_, and the impatient tapping of her foot can only mean she's growing more agitated by the second. He takes just one step, and she stomps in front of him and slaps his shoulder.

"Wrong!" she exclaims, going as far as to wag her finger. "Why are your legs so shaky? That's a dead giveaway. Kami_, _did you practice _at all_?"

"Yes, I did," he retorts irritably. "All night, in fact, as you asked."

She snorts. "Then how come there's no improvement?"

"Because it's only been one day!" he bites back, gritting his teeth and glancing away. "And I've only been waddling all over the place. What kind of practice is that? I need a _reference_, at least."

"You want a reference?" she barks. Whipping around, she marches to a tree three feet away before stomping back angrily. "There's your reference. Now, I expect you to be walking like that by the end of the week, _got it_?"

"Only if you're okay with the villagers thinking I have a stick up my -"

"_Don't _finish that, you little..." She breathes in angrily, and then spits out, "I'm a bad influence on you."

He scoffs in agreement, gazing at her sharply from the corner of his eyes. She seems to be calming down; her breathing is no longer as ragged and her stature is finally straight again. He had never really been _angry _with her – only defensive when she'd doubted his devotion. He _had _practiced all night for her! It would be nice to get some appreciation.

_'From Karin?'_ he scoffs, even in his own mind. _'There's a better chance of Madarame suddenly announcing that he's taken a vow of peace.'_

"All right," Karin breathes out slowly. Her eyes close for a moment, and when she opens them again, she seems significantly more serene. "Let's try this again." With a smile, she politely asks, "How was your practice, Toushiro?"

"Better than the first time I attempted to walk," he replies coolly.

She snorts, remembering that horrible soccer game. "Well, _that's _a relief, at least." Crossing her arms, she smirks. "Okay, if you're doing any better, then I guess it's good for me. But you've gotta practice more, 'kay? So, get to it!"

Grumbling to himself, he puts one foot in front of the other and tries to take a step forward, holding his arms out to his side as support. Karin bites back a chuckle at his childish tactics and determination, settling down underneath a large tree to watch him under the shade. Truth is, she knows she's a horrible teacher. She's always lacked the patience it takes to instruct another and not blow her top at every mistake, especially with something as simple as walking, which everyone _should _know how to do since their toddler years. Of course, she's been trying to ease up towards Toushiro, who must face some special circumstances, but it doesn't help that he _looks _like an adult. Even he'd noticed, however, that she's gotten better at repressing her temper, like she just had.

She's quite convinced that the reason for her sudden control is her renewed relationship with her family. It had taken far too long for her liking, but Yuzu had been the first to crack. Though she'd been ignoring her brash twin at first, she'd been unable to resist the temptation of learning that Karin had actually found a mysterious _date _to the romantic festival that was fast approaching.

"Who is it?" she'd squealed, clapping her hands together and sighing over the boiling stew. "Someone I know?"

"No," Karin had replied, attempting to hide her glee over the actual conversation and break in the long silence. With a scowl, she'd carefully recited the excuse she'd conjured to explain Toushiro's future, sudden appearance at their village. "He's a boy I met when I went to the city that long time ago. Remember we all went together with Urahara-san's family, and I got lost?" At Yuzu's nod, she'd continued, "Well, he helped me back then, and we've been secretly writing to each other all this time. I invited him to be my partner last month."

Yuzu had pouted. "Why did you never tell me about him!" she'd exclaimed.

"Please, Yuzu," she'd deadpanned wearily. "We both know you would have made too big a deal over something that isn't." Seeing her eyebrows scrunch in distaste at the accusation, she'd also explained, "Besides, he's...shy." Toushiro had lost his temper with her when she'd recalled this part of the conversation to him later, but had let it slide because it had been crucial in keeping his true identity a secret.

"But I can't believe it!" Yuzu had cried, drawing attention from both their father and brother. "I mean, Karin and a..._city boy_." To Karin's amusement, her voice had dropped to a hushed whisper, as if voicing some scandalous news. Well, in their village, it partially is, as the city boys are notorious for their mature adventures with women and atrocious behavior. But Yuzu should know that Karin would never involve herself with a man in such a way. However, ignoring that characteristic of her sister's, she'd instead asked, "So, what's his name?"

Contemplating whether his true name would be smart to divulge, she'd finally decided it would cause no harm, and had truthfully answered, "Hitsugaya Toushiro."

"_Wow. _Hitsugaya...Toushiro," Yuzu had slowly tried out the foreign name on her tongue. Then, the squealing and giggling and questions had commenced, and the amount of joy oozing out of her very aura had been too much for Isshin to resist. He'd been the next one to break down and give in, chiming in about grandchildren and a heinous boy defiling his baby; he'd been just a little too excited about the latter to be categorized as a good father.

The only one who had refrained from forgiving her had been Ichigo, who'd scoffed and looked away as if he had never heard anything in the first place. Though it had disheartened Karin for some time, she'd allowed the stress of preparing for the festival to sweep her away, far from his condescending behavior. So, since she'd partially gained back some of her past happiness, Hitsugaya had fortunately been treated to slack.

She watches now, as he wobbles his way down a straight path. There's a blazing determination in his eyes that Karin secretly admires; she's never appreciated when people have things handed to them. Trial and error, after all, build character. It's what she's had to do all her life, learning the dos and don'ts of her anti-feminist society; don't wear things too revealing, even for a sports match, as that would earn her a one-way ticket to about fifty disapproving murmurs and glares, but staying out just a tad later was allowed, as long as she was smart enough to cover up and keep attention from herself. Little things like these had taught her the tricks and trades of getting away with at least _some _things she desired to do.

Toushiro keeps his arms steady for balance and puts one leg in front of the other again. That makes a total of _three_ actually balanced steps, and Karin beams at his progress. Of course, she'll be breathing down his neck soon enough when he's not ready for the festival, but for now, she's enjoying his patience in learning something new. She takes in the tightened jaw and furrowed eyebrows, and can't help but think to herself that there's a certain rugged handsomeness in a man willing to try for simply her sake.

However, it doesn't take long for his patience to snap. There's a small cry of surprise from his lips, and he finally stumbles backwards, landing hard on the ground beneath. That, apparently, is the final straw, as he simply huffs and crosses his arms, refusing to get up again. Karin can't help but chuckle under her breath.

"Okay, okay! That's enough," she calls out to him when she notices his face souring even more. It's never a good idea to allow him to get too far into his moods, or nothing would ever get done. Scrambling to her feet, she pats dust off of her knees before jogging over to him. "How about we try dancing instead – see if you take to that better?"

His breathes out in irritation. "What on _earth_ would make you think that to be a good idea?" he questions incredulously. He can't even stand properly, and she wants to try something as fast-paced and complicated as dancing? Sometimes he worries that her belief of determination and sheer willpower being enough to get you through anything will trap her in serious trouble.

She shrugs, understanding his doubt, and explains, "Dancing has more rhythm. Maybe that's what you need."

He considers the suggestion, still not quite understanding the logic behind it. When he takes too long, she glares at his hesitation and finally just grabs his hand forcefully. Ignoring the shock apparent on his face, she calmly scoops the other into her hands as well, so that the two are face-to-face with their hands clasped together.

"So, the dance is simple but complex," she begins easily, as if he had never protested. "The steps are easy, but it's pretty long and hard to remember. You're a smart dragon, though. I'm sure you can get it." Her lips pucker into thought as she realizes they're lacking something rather crucial. "Music usually makes this easier, but we don't have any right now..."

They both fall silent, and as they contemplate this dilemma, Toushiro's ears perk up at a familiar, soothing sound; it's the lake's water, swaying with the wind and creating splashes against the shoreline. The rippling of the water over the surface creates a rhythmic beat, one that always sets him at ease no matter the situation he is in. Unconsciously, he feels his body begin to push and pull along with the tide, swaying with the waves so slightly that one would hardly notice it. However, as Karin is attached at the hands, she feels his body being to move and eyes his form; he doesn't realize it himself how he's reacting, but a smirk overtakes her face as she notices the water's call. She strokes the back of his hand with her thumb, drawing his attention.

"Who needs music, anyway?" she exclaims in response to his quizzical look, and gestures towards the lake with a flick of her head. "You're practically dancing already."

His eyes soften at the observation as he realizes just what she had noticed about him. It's not really his fault that he physically cannot resist the water's call; dragons use the rhythm of their elements in their dances, anyway, so this reaction elicited from the whispers of his home is only natural. It tugs at his stomach, urging him to further his response by swaying more forcefully, more in tune to nature. In response, his eyelids droop until his gaze is more hazy and free than she's ever seen it.

"Are you all right, Toushiro?" Karin asks carefully, stepping closer so that their faces are practically touching. At any other time this would have resulted in a particularly strong and embarrassed reaction, but now, the waves lull his emotions, dulling his weaknesses and calling forth his courage.

His hands slip from hers almost routinely, and taking advantage of their close proximity, he lazily ghosts them over her hips. The shock of the sudden action causes her to gasp lightly, but nothing more so than when he loosely wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her respectably close enough that they can dance without their fronts actually touching. His head finds the junction of her shoulder and neck, and he buries himself in her scent, breathing in deeply at the smell of fresh grass she'd no doubt obtained from playing outdoors all morning. Karin peeks at him sideways from the corners of her eyes, meeting only the messy spikes that are his hair. They are both so dead silent that the sound of his voice breaking the tranquility causes her to lurch against him.

"You wanted to dance, correct?" he mumbles against her, his voice the most slurred she has ever heard him allow it to be. He sounds so surreal that she's almost afraid of this sudden change in his persona – enough to stand straight-backed and frozen in her spot. It is Toushiro that causes her to move by pulling her closer, urging her to mirror his actions. Almost automatically, her arms, hanging uselessly at her sides since he had dropped them, slither around his torso. Hooking under his arms, they rest on his shoulders from the back like an embrace.

"Let's dance," he mutters against her, and she finds herself unable to disobey. It's almost as if they're intoxicated by the other's presence, easily discarding their inhibitions without a second thought.

Carefully, they begin to sway together. It's awkward at first, as they're out of sync and unable to find a mutual rhythm, and their bodies brush lightly every now and then when their individual movements clash with each other's. But as the breeze becomes stronger, the trees' leaves join in with the music of the water, and Karin finds herself falling under the same spell that had captured her partner. The serenity of their silence washes over both of them, and soon their dancing harmonizes heedlessly. Only their upper bodies move; his feet stay firmly planted on the spot so there are no chances of his clumsiness ruining the moment, of breaking the mystique of their shared embrace. Though she would have berated him avoiding practice at any other time, she finds herself unable to do so now. In fact, she never even notices, too caught up in the sparking electricity of the enchanted moment.

The sun begins to set on them as it always does, but neither ceases their swaying, too engrossed in each other to pay any attention to the surrounding world apart from the leaves and the water. It's only when the breeze finally settles and their impromptu melody finally ends, making way for the stillness that comes with the end of the day, that they pull away. His head ventures away from her neck, his eyelids flutter as he attempts to clear his hazy mind, and his arms loosen. However, he still holds onto her, unwilling to separate after their hours of unity.

She reaches reality first. Wordlessly stepping away, she finds herself unable to tear her gaze away from him. With her hands fisted tightly, she begins to slowly walk backwards, keeping their eyes locked until he disappears from her sight by the many trees surrounding her that obscure her path. Finally turning tail, she sprints back to her village in the dark evening without so much as a good-bye, painfully aware that she'll have to face him again the next day.

Planted firmly across her cheeks is a deep redness she's quite sure has been present since the very beginning of their dance.

**.. ღ ..**

Both of them wisely avoid any discussion of their previous encounter when she returns the next day. The grin on her face is just a little _too _wide and the scowl on his face is just a little _too _bitter, but neither point out the obvious show the other is putting on. However, both do keep their distance from the other, not getting any closer than necessary; therefore, Karin decides it best not to try dancing together again for a long, long time. Thinking ahead to the dilemma created by this decision, she brings a remedy to the situation in the form of a make-shift Karin doll.

"It's a sack of potatoes!" she explains with too much cheer. She would have used something more human-like, such as a broom, but she doesn't quite know where Yuzu keeps all the cleaning supplies, not being one for housework. Holding up the bag, she chuckles at his less than enthusiastic expression as he eyes it. "I sneaked into the town stables and stole some hay to stuff inside. It'll be just like me!"

"I highly doubt that..." he mumbles, even as he takes the offending object from her hands. Today's practice involves working with his feet – that had been overlooked the day before – so he awkwardly grasps the sack against himself to learn how to walk steadily with the added weight of another "person." Neither will take the chance to allow their surroundings' music to weaken their awareness, so Karin brings another solution to their problem; in her hand lies a white, carefully carved flute.

"You can play?" he asks in shock. He would never have considered her the type of woman to play any sort of instrument, especially one as calming and serene as a flute.

She shrugs, trying to play off her embarrassment at revealing such a feminine detail about herself. "They taught us in class and I guess it stuck with me," she explains, meeting his eyes with a determination to not allow herself to turn shy now. "I mean, I was always always really bad at everything we did in class, but – and don't you _dare_ tell Otou-san," she threatens him with a finger in his face, never mind that he has never met the man, and that the subject of her flute playing would probably be the last thing they would speak about if he did. "The truth is...I always liked the flute," she admits softly.

"Really?" he asks in surprise, unable to even imagine her playing such a serene, beautiful instrument and actually enjoying it. When she scowls dangerously at his tone, he hastily plows on, "Not that it's _too _great of a surprise. It was simply a shock because I play, too."

She crosses her arms in irritation that they're _still _talking about this. "Well, are you going to play for me some time, then?" she asks. "I mean, you'll hear _me _play."

He considers her. "Would you like me to play for you?" he asks quietly, and the tender tone causes her to scowl to cover her chagrin. She just snaps a 'whatever' in his direction and stomps over to the tree she had sat under to play for him under the shade. Placing the flute against her lips, she begins to play a slow, soft melody that resonates across their clearing. Her eyelids flutter as they periodically flicker towards him, observing her future partner's skills. Today's lesson lacks the strict prowess of the last; he simply waltzes, almost in place, with his partner in his arms, keeping his moves simple so his feet may adjust to the increase in speed. It seems a highly embarrassing moment was all it needed for Karin to gain some patience in her teaching. She never even objects when he pauses for a brief break, and he takes advantage of it while he can. After all, Karin never lets anything hold her down for long, so he's sure she'll return to her spit-fire ways soon enough.

Crossing his legs and leaning back against the bark of the tree, he settles in beside her. She takes great care in placing her flute away, rubbing her thumb over any smudges and nestling it carefully over the potato sack to avoid placing it in the dirt. When she finally runs out of excuses, she turns her head towards him.

"Have you been practicing?" she asks, her eyebrows raising in a threatening way that promised pain if not given the right answer.

He nods immediately. "Of course. What do you take me for?" he retorts, causing her to smirk rather proudly.

Satisfied with the answer, she gets comfortable against the tree herself, keeping mind of avoiding contact with his shoulder. Any form of physical contact is forbidden right now after the confusion it had roused just yesterday, and she decides keeping her distance from the lake for a while might be an intelligent idea, too. Letting things get heated would only complicate their relationship; something like that had never happened to her before apart from Grimmjow, and remembering how well _that _turned out only reassures her that all of these preventative measures are the right method for protecting their friendship.

Toushiro glances at her sideways as her face flickers with different emotions, finally settling on firm resolve. What she's decided, he's not quite sure, but knowing Karin, she would follow her plan to a tee. It's something he admires about her, as he's rather big on discipline himself; hopelessly trying to teach Matsumoto some had eaten up his childhood, after all. And when Karin had run off yesterday, he'd had to force himself to remember his own. That horrified expression on her face had convinced him it would be a bad idea to fall victim to the water once again, and so he needs to keep his mind sharp and focused.

He's never fought against his own element before, never had to, as it is his partner in everything he does in life. But he would try just about anything to avoid Karin making such an expression because of him again. Perhaps that's why he hadn't transformed back into a dragon again last night, or slept in his own home for that matter. Instead, he'd resisted the seductive calls of the lake, sleeping far from the shoreline as a human boy, to strengthen his own resolve. If he ever wants anything more than just friendship with her, after all, she needs to whole-heartedly believe she can always be comfortable around him.

This awkward, prolonged silence, however, is doing nothing to appease the outcome of the previous day's mishap. In fact, the heavy atmosphere only seems to be ripping them farther apart. Karin refuses to look at him properly or even inch any closer to him, and he's sure slipping closer himself would only elicit a wedge in their friendship. Besides, he's never been one for comforting or long talks and avoids them like the plague most of the time. But it's different with Karin, who's not the same when she doesn't badger him with her need to break the silence or wrench him out of his comfort zone. So he scrambles to find some way to remedy their tension.

"How are things with your family, Karin?" he asks, already aware that things are going well, so it would most likely cheer her up. And indeed, she beams over at him.

"Great!" she cries. "Yuzu even promised to make me my favorite dinner later today, and Otou-san tried to choke me in a hug, too." She holds up a fist with a self-satisfied smirk. "Well, I showed him."

He chuckles under his breath. "And how are things with this Jinta?" Those are apparently the magic words, as her face splits into a wide grin that dominates her face.

"_Perfect!_" she snickers. "You should have seen the look on his face when I told the class I had a date for the dance. He thought it would be impossible for me, and you know what? Showing _him _was even more satisfying than beating the crap out of Otou-san."

"Your family is rather...strange," he comments, thinking back to what she had told him about them.

"Yup!" she agrees easily. "And you'll see for yourself first hand at the festival. They have some pretty weird traditions." She finishes on a note of exasperation, no doubt thinking about all of her humiliating memories. She constantly complains about their antics when their conversations bring about some memory, and most of the time, they involve public outbursts. He can understand quite easily, thinking back to his own family's traditions that had left him agitated and under too much public scrutiny for comfort. Trying to push away his dark, twisted past, he attempts to steer their talk into another direction, and by association, he suddenly thinks back to a small detail Karin had ghosted over when asking for his help for the festival.

"Karin, you mentioned a legend about this dance, didn't you?" he remembers, placing a hand over his chin as he thinks back to her slip of the tongue. She suddenly scowls darkly at his attempt, punching his arm to pull him back from his memories. The mood abruptly shifts back to how it had been before.

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbles. "That stupid legend that always has all the girls squealing. It never comes true, anyway." She splays her legs out before her and places her hands on the grass behind her, leaning back on them and turning her glower to the sky.

"What is it about?" he asks, his curiosity overtaking him easily; it always does when it comes to Karin and her human life.

She glares over at him. "Just the usual crap about dancing and soul mates," she snaps, keeping her gaze firmly planted above her. "Just drop it, Toush. It's all just fake, anyway."

He inclines his head to the side, bringing his face into her view so she can see the carefully puzzled expression on his face. "Why are you so against this tradition, Karin? Or upset with those girls?" he asks softly. She'd turned so bitter at the mention of the legend and of all the girls swooning over it. Though it seems a Karin type of reaction, he also can't help but wonder why the response is so strong when he broaches this subject.

"You just can't drop it even when I tell you to, can you?" she retorts. When her eyes finally catch his, he can easily decipher the frosty look that had taken over them. Somewhere deep behind the rage, however, he imagines he can see an inkling of hidden hurt, too. "Fine. The truth is...I used to want to believe that stupid legend too, _okay_?"

"_You_ did?" he repeats, just as shocked as when he had learned her flute secret. He backtracks when her face sours even more, realizing his lack of tact.

"_Yes_, me," she quips back. Her mood darkens instantly as she turns back to the sky. She maintains a brief moment of contemplative silence, and when she speaks again, her voice has dropped to a low, softer tone that is uncharacteristic of her. "Me and Grimmjow were together for a long time, you know. With him around to dance with every year, the idea of soul mates didn't seem too far fetched, okay? I guess...I just thought..." She trails off, her fists clenching as she fights to gain back her steady control. Finally, she sighs heavily and drops her head in defeat. "Now I know that it's just a bunch of crap, anyway. There's no way Grimm could ever have been the one. And that stupid, corny legend just isn't true."

The bitterness laced so heavily in each and every word stabs his chest repeatedly, reminding him how much this girl before him had lost by just one simple act of a foolish man. If it had been him, he would never have let her go so easily, and especially not in such a horrific way. Now, he would spend as much time as needed to help her pick up the shattered pieces of her past relationship. He isn't like those men who would easily throw away women without so much as a thought; he treasures those he holds close, and Karin occupies one of the highest positions in his heart. He would do anything to win back that cheerful disposition of hers, as well as her trust in men.

Glaring at the sky along with her, he promises, _'I swear, Karin,_ _that one day, I'll make you believe in that legend once again.'_

* * *

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this latest installment. As you can see, the two are definitely growing closer ^_^**

**And I just realized that I'm about to reach a hundred reviews for this story! That makes me so excited, since I've never reached that mark before. I've always felt it's like a rite of passage on this site (without writing, like, a bazillion chapters), so I want to thank all of you from the very bottom of my heart for taking the time to leave your thoughts :D Though I don't think this story's that great myself and can't really understand why it's the first. I'll never get you guys and your tastes... -_-**


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